Fundamentals

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The most notable difference between DDR5 and previous generations is the introduction of decision feedback equalization, a technique used in serial link systems to improve the integrity of received signals.  In the wake of the new technology, this short article outlines some of the fundamental signal integrity concepts in the context of DDR5.

The extension of operating frequencies in the mmWave region and beyond is the story of wireless development for the next thirty years. Understanding the resulting challenges and improving the state-of-the-art is a key driver for the EMC and wireless Industries. This article takes a look at some of the fundamentals of mmWave, including signal propagation, available spectrum, and challenges and issues facing EMC.

Component manufacturers continue to develop increasingly miniaturized bulkhead filter capacitors that also offer increased current capacity, voltage, and operating temperature ranges. This post looks at the details of this miniaturization in order to help aerospace systems designers satisfy stringent size and weight constraints and further improve system performance.

We care about maintaining the same differential impedance for the same reason we care about maintaining the same instantaneous impedance of a single-ended (SE) transmission line: to avoid reflections. SIJ’s EAB member Bert Simonovich explains the fundamentals and why it matters.

Watch out for those operating frequencies. Here are some tips to avoid EMC emission test failures.

Here are some tips to prepare for a standards audit and avoid being assessed a deficiency.

This article lays out the basics of signal integrity problems, explains s-parameters, and identifies challenges in high-speed design.

There was a time when the signal integrity of connections between digital ICs could be nearly ensured by following one simple rule: don’t connect more than some maximum number of input pins to any single output pin. Often the fanout limit would be around 7. No models, no simulations. Everything we needed was in the thick books of vendor datasheets that filled our shelves, the tree-killing viral precursor to AOL installation CDs. Ah, those were the days!

If performance matters, if the interconnects are not transparent, or if you want to develop good habits, you will want to incorporate these seven habits in your next two layer board design.

While we all love increased network speed, there is an implied assumption that the backbone speeds of the internet will keep up with this rising demand placed upon it by millions of new 5G devices. PCIe 5.0 (or Gen5) represents the technology that is needed by the computer, data center, and ultimately the 5G wireless industry to enable the next generation of mobile and desktop applications. So, what is PCI Express 5.0 and how does it compare to PCI 4.0? Read on to find out.