AN_Recommended settings generating accurate BBS macro models

Recommended Settings in Sigrity
PowerSI for Generating Accurate BBS

Macromodels
Product Version: Sigrity 2024.0
May 2024
Copyright Statement
© 2024 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Cadence and the Cadence logo are registered trademarks of
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All others are the property of their respective holders.
This content is Cadence Confidential and for Cadence customers only. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE.
Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

© 2024 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. Page 2
Recommended Settings in Sigrity PowerSI for Generating Accurate BBS Macromodels
Contents
Purpose ....................................................................................................................... 4
Audience ...................................................................................................................... 4
Terms .......................................................................................................................... 4
Overview ...................................................................................................................... 5
Recommended Settings for Generating Accurate BBS Macromodels ......................... 5
Enforcing causality ................................................................................................... 5
Setting up simulation frequencies ............................................................................ 7
Calculating the DC point .......................................................................................... 8
Enable Port generation Analysis .............................................................................. 9
Enabling Inter-plane coupling (IPC) ....................................................................... 11
Enforcing passivity and causality ........................................................................... 12
Enforcing passivity and causality using BBS .......................................................... 14
Summary ................................................................................................................... 17
Support ...................................................................................................................... 17
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 17

Purpose
When generating a macromodel in Broadband SPICE (BBS), the quality of the original
S-parameter plays a significant role. This application note covers the best practices
when extracting S-parameters in Sigrity PowerSI that you can use in Broadband SPICE
to generate accurate models.
Audience
This document is intended for PCB design and validation engineers who are involved in
high-speed signal designs to improve the performance of their PCBs.
Terms
PCB – Printed Circuit Board
BBS – Broadband SPICE
DC – Direct Current

Overview
The quality of the original S-parameters plays a significant role when generating a
macromodel in BroadBandSpice. A few challenges associated with the S-parameter data,
like passivity, causality, and reciprocity, can be addressed using BroadBandSpice.
However, it is best to avoid these issues during the initial S-parameter extraction. In this
application notes we have detailed several recommendations that can be applied to the
custom designs which helps to get the accurate results and helps to avoid multiple
iterations of regenerating the S parameters. some of the crucial tool features can be as
below:
• Enforcing Causality
• Selecting more number of frequency points during the extraction
• Calculating the DC point
• Enabling Interplane coupling
• Enable the Port generation Analysis
• Enforce Passivity
Recommended Settings for Generating Accurate BBS

Macromodels
Here are a few best practices for extracting S-parameters that you can use in BBS to
generate accurate and compact models:
Enforcing causality
Enable this option in the Stackup editor to ensure that material properties are causal.
Ideally, if you have the frequency-dependent permittivity and loss tangent information
for the dielectric material from a manufacturer, it is useful to input this data and enable
causality enforcement.
Although requiring material causality does not guarantee S-parameter causality, it is a

necessary requirement.To enable this option, select the Enforce Causality check box
in the Stackup dialog box, as shown below:

Alternatively, the same option is available in the Options window. Go to Tools >
Options > Edit Options > Simulation (Advanced) > Electric Models in the left pane
and then select the required check box in Dielectric Materials, as shown below:

Setting up simulation frequencies
Broadband SPICE enables you to generate macromodels that are valid from DC to
infinity. Therefore, it is critical that the original S-parameter file provides adequate
sample data at a low frequency.
For PowerSI, a good approach is to set the starting frequency to 0 Hz by selecting

Simulation Setup > Setup Simulation Frequencies and then specifying the required
value in Frequency Ranges, as shown below:
The End frequency should contain the bandwidth of the desired model. For example, if
the final BBS macromodel is to be used in the time domain analysis, the stop frequency
can be determined based on the fastest rise times in the simulation using
approximations such as:
BW [GHz] = 0.35/Rise Time[nsec]
You should not rely on the accuracy of the model beyond the Stop/End frequency.

Calculating the DC point
Select Tools > Options > Edit Options > Simulation (Advanced) > Field Domain in
the left pane, and then in PowerDC Option, select the Calculate DC point as
reference check box, as shown below:
This option calculates the DC point using the PowerDC solver explicitly. Also, PowerSI
invokes Broadband SPICE to improve the passivity and causality performance of the
PowerSI-PowerDC combined solution.

Enable Port generation Analysis
Here, your purpose is to avoid the capacitors impacting the DC to AC transition region
of the actual layout. The larger capacitors typically impact the results in that frequency
range. Hence, you can end up getting incorrect DC-AC fitting results if you do not
remove the caps while doing the layout characterization.
If you select the Enable Port Generation Analysis Flow check box, you will see a new
workflow step, Select Port Generation Components, in the Model Extraction
workflow. Refer to the two screenshots shown below:

You can then set the port generation components by selecting this workflow. This
displays a list of enabled, two-pin components, as shown below:

Enabling Inter-plane coupling (IPC)

When the frequency is low and the skin depth is larger than the metal thickness, the
field might couple through the metal shapes. IPC captures this coupling formulation.
Enabling this option results in heavy memory usage, long simulation time, and a more
accurate model.
To enable IPC, go to Tools > Options > Edit Options > Simulation (Advanced) >
Field Domain in the left pane, and then select the required option in Inter-plane
coupling (IPC), as shown below:

Enforcing passivity and causality
It is useful to quickly compare S-parameter results, with and without enforcing passivity
results, to ensure there are no significant differences. Significant differences indicate
problems with the setup or simulation results, which should be then examined more
closely. In most cases, the differences are small and concentrated in the low-frequency
area where the AC solver is less accurate.
To enforce passivity, go to Tools > Options > Edit Options > Simulation (Basic) >
General, and then select the Automatically output enforced passive results
checkbox in Automation. You can now use this passivity-enforced S-parameter results.
Note that this passivity-enforced file will have a *_Passive.SnP extension).

PowerSI also provides another option to enforce passivity and causality using
Broadband SPICE. To do this step, go to Options > Field Domain > Calculate the DC
point as reference. Here, select the Passivity and causality enforcement by
BroadbandSPICE check box.
Note that you can skip passivity enforcement and apply it directly in BBS during the
macromodel extraction. The passivity enforcement algorithms available in PowerSI and
Broadband SPICE are identical and yield comparable results.

Enforcing passivity and causality using BBS
Steps:
1. You can launch Broadband SPICE directly, or you can launch Broadband SPICE
from PowerSI as shown below:

2. In Broadband SPICE, go to Tools (Broadband SPICE) > Options, as shown

below, to launch the Options dialog box:
3. Alternatively, you can click Setup extraction in Original S-parameter SPICE

Circuit Extraction. In the displayed Options dialog box, select the Passivity
mode option in Extraction Mode, with a maximum of 200 iterations. Also, select
the General SPICE Compatible or HSPICE Compatible option in BBS Circuit.
Next, specify a value of 100 MHz in the Reduce upper frequency limit box in
Model Order Reduction. These specifications are shown below:

4. If you want to add causality enforcement using Broadband SPICE, go to Tuning

Settings in the left pane and then select the Causality enforcement check box.

Summary
In this application note, you have learned best practices for extracting S-parameters in
PowerSI for use in BroadBandSpice to generate accurate and compact models.
Support
Cadence Learning and Support Portal provides access to support resources, including
an extensive knowledge base, access to software updates for Cadence products, and
the ability to interact with Cadence Customer Support. Visit
https://support.cadence.com.
Feedback
Email comments, questions, and suggestions to content_feedback@cadence.com.


AN_Recommended settings generating accurate BBS macro models

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

AN_Recommended settings generating accurate BBS macro models

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Recommended Settings in Sigrity

PowerSI for Generating Accurate BBS

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

PCB – Printed Circuit Board

BBS – Broadband SPICE

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Recommended Settings for Generating Accurate BBS

Although requiring material causality does not guarantee S-parameter causality, it is a

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Setting up simulation frequencies

For PowerSI, a good approach is to set the starting frequency to 0 Hz by selecting

BW [GHz] = 0.35/Rise Time[nsec]

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Calculating the DC point

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Enable Port generation Analysis

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Enabling Inter-plane coupling (IPC)

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Enforcing passivity and causality

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Enforcing passivity and causality using BBS

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

2. In Broadband SPICE, go to Tools (Broadband SPICE) > Options, as shown

3. Alternatively, you can click Setup extraction in Original S-parameter SPICE

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

4. If you want to add causality enforcement using Broadband SPICE, go to Tuning

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

Learn more at Cadence Learning and Support Portal - https://support.cadence.com

You might also like