This paper reviews recent progress and future directions of signal integrity design for high-speed digital circuits, focusing on four areas: signal propagation on transmission lines, discontinuity modeling and characterization, measurement techniques, and link-path design and analysis.

Signal Integrity Design for High-Speed Digital Circuits: Progress and Directions

We report on an experimental investigation of the timing jitter (TJ) in a fiber-coupled detection system based on a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD). We used a picosecond pulsed laser and fiber delay lines to generate subsequent optical pulsed pairs in each period and measured the TJ between the pulses. Because only the interval time between two pulses in each period was interested, we did not need to know the absolute time of every pulse. Therefore, the TJ from laser and trigger signal can be removed. In order to estimate the intrinsic TJ of SNSPD, we analyzed the TJ caused by time distribution of optical pulse, electronic components, readout noise, kinetic inductance and dispersion in fiber channel. Finally, we obtained the intrinsic TJs for two kinds of detectors considering these impacts.

Intrinsic timing jitter of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

A review on CMOS delay lines with a focus on the most frequently used techniques for high-resolution delay step is presented. The primary types, specifications, delay circuits, and operating principles are presented. The delay circuits reported in this paper are used for delaying digital inputs and clock signals. The most common analog and digitally-controlled delay elements topologies are presented, focusing on the main delay-tuning strategies. IC variables, namely, process, supply voltage, temperature, and noise sources that affect delay resolution through timing jitter are discussed. The design specifications of these delay elements are also discussed and compared for the common delay line circuits. As a result, the main findings of this paper are highlighting and discussing the followings: the most efficient high-resolution delay line techniques, the trade-off challenge found between CMOS delay lines designed using either analog or digitally-controlled delay elements, the trade-off challenge between delay resolution and delay range and the proposed solutions for this challenge, and how CMOS technology scaling can affect the performance of CMOS delay lines. Moreover, the current trends and efforts used in order to generate output delayed signal with low jitter in the sub-picosecond range are presented.

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A review on high-resolution CMOS delay lines: towards sub-picosecond jitter performance.

The primary focus of this paper is to discuss the modeling of jitter caused by power supply noise (PSN), named power supply induced jitter (PSIJ). A holistic discussion is presented from the basics of power delivery networks to PSN and eventually to the modeling of PSIJ. The in-depth details and a review of several methodologies available in the literature for the estimation of PSIJ are presented.

A Review on Power Supply Induced Jitter

The transfer functions relating supply voltage fluctuations to jitter are analytically derived in closed form expressions for a single-ended buffer. The analytic transfer functions are derived from a linear differential equation obtained from asymptotic linear inverter I-V curves. The transfer functions are validated by comparison with HSPICE simulations. The estimated jitter is compared with the simulated jitter using eye diagrams with single-frequency and multitone supply voltage fluctuations.

Analytical Transfer Functions Relating Power and Ground Voltage Fluctuations to Jitter at a Single-Ended Full-Swing Buffer

State-of-the-art JNB and SI Problem-Solving: Theory, Analysis, Methods, and ApplicationsJitter, noise, and bit error (JNB) and signal integrity (SI) have become today's greatest challenges in high-speed digital design. Now, there's a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to overcoming these challenges, direct from Dr. Mike Peng Li, cochair of the PCI Express jitter standard committee.One of the field's most respected experts, Li has brought together the latest theory, analysis, methods, and practical applications, demonstrating how to solve difficult JNB and SI problems in both link components and complete systems. Li introduces the fundamental terminology, definitions, and concepts associated with JNB and SI, as well as their sources and root causes. He guides readers from basic math, statistics, circuit and system models all the way through final applications. Emphasizing clock and serial data communications applications, he covers JNB and SI simulation, modeling, diagnostics, debugging, compliance testing, and much more.Coverage includes? JNB component classification, interrelationships, measurement references, and transfer functions Statistical techniques and signal processing theory for quantitatively understanding and modeling JNB and related components Jitter, noise, and BER: physical/mathematical foundations and statistical signal processing views Jitter separation methods in statistical distribution, time, and frequency domains Clock jitter in detail: phase, period, and cycle-to-cycle jitter, and key interrelationships among them PLL jitter in clock generation and clock recovery Jitter, noise, and SI mechanisms in high-speed link systems Quantitative modeling and analysis for jitter, noise, and SI Testing requirements and methods for links and systems Emerging trends in high-speed JNB and SI As data rates continue to accelerate, engineers encounter increasingly complex JNB and SI problems. In Jitter, Noise, and Signal Integrity at High-Speed, Dr. Li provides powerful new tools for solving these problemsi??quickly, efficiently, and reliably.Preface xvAcknowledgements xxiAbout the Author xxiiiChapter 1: Introduction 1Chapter 2: Statistical Signal and Linear Theory for Jitter, Noise, and Signal Integrity 27Chapter 3: Source, Mechanism, and Math Model for Jitter and Noise 75Chapter 4: Jitter, Noise, BER (JNB), and Interrelationships 109Chapter 5: Jitter and Noise Separation and Analysis in Statistical Domain 131Chapter 6: Jitter and Noise Separation and Analysis in the Time and Frequency Domains 163Chapter 7: Clock Jitter 185Chapter 8: PLL Jitter and Transfer Function Analysis 209Chapter 9: Jitter and Signal Integrity Mechanisms for High-Speed Links 253Chapter 10: Modeling and Analysis for Jitter and Signaling Integrity for High-Speed Links 281Chapter 11: Testing and Analysis for Jitter and Signaling Integrity for High-Speed Links 309Chapter 12: Book Summary and Future Challenges 345Index 353

Mike Li

Papers

Jitter, Noise, and Signal Integrity at High-Speed