DesignCon 2006 Analysis of FPGA Simultaneous Switching Noise in Three Domains: Time, Frequency, and Spectrum

Simultaneous switching noise (SSN) and its behavior have become increasingly important in high-performance FPGA system design featuring hundreds of I/Os transmitting in parallel at low supply voltage standard. In this paper, we present an indepth study on SSN by analyzing its behavior in three different domains: time, frequency, and noise spectrum. Cross correlation in these three domains reveals two dominant cause mechanisms: frequency dependent PDN impedance and crosstalk from package-PCB breakout region. Each mechanism has its manifestation in time-domain SSN waveform. Furthermore, simulation confirms our postulations made on examination of experimental data and validates the methodology practical to SSN assessment in FPGA applications.