PCB Design Blogs

In this blog, you will be taking an IC package design from Allegro^® Package Designer Plus (APD Plus) and export the design to Sigrity XtractIM. You will use XtractIM to extract models from the exported package and to assess the electrical performance of the package.

Prerequisites for exporting the Package Design to XtractIM

To export a package design from APD Plus to XtractIM, you will either need Package Analyze editor for APD Plus or an Extract License.

To open the Package Analyze editor, choose File — Change Editor — Available Product Options — Package Analyze from APD Plus.

Getting Started with the Export of the Package Design to XtractIM

Choose Analyze — XtractIM — Extraction to open the XtractIM Package Modelling form.

Use the various options and choices in the form to define how you want to extract the design. You can either choose to extract the entire design or select specific nets of your choice. Just specify your choice in the Xnets to analyze field.

Another useful option you have is to run the extraction either in the batch mode or in the GUI. Running the extraction in the batch mode helps if you have a large design and you want to run the extraction, say, to take advantage of lean times, such as in weekends or overnight. You also have the option to display simulation results immediately after the batch mode is complete or to view the results later per your convenience. In this example, however, you will be choosing XtractIM GUI as the Extraction Launch option.

Of course, you will want to set the size of the solder bumps and balls and to define the dielectric constant. That’s easily done in the XtractIM Package Modelling Parameters form that you open by clicking Parameters.

• Define the size of the solder bumps that attach the die to the package for Flip-Chip Designs as well as the conductivity of the solder. You can also choose a material from the Material Library.
• Define the dielectric constant of the molding material that will encapsulate the wire bonds. Or, choose the material from the Material Library.
• Define the size and the material of the Solder Ball that will connect the IC Package to the PCB Carrier. The values to the size of the solder balls are not supplied. Default of Dmax/D1/D2 is one-fourths of the component pin pitch. Default HT is 500um.

Now is the time to classify power/ground nets by selecting the option Use voltage property in SPDIF Preferences. When this option is selected, nets with a voltage property value of zero are classified as ground nets and those with a non-zero voltage property are classified as power nets. All other nets are classified as signal nets. You can also set the plating thickness and the maximum arc length replaced by the line segments to 0.01 and 0.2 respectively. Don’t forget to change the unit to millimeter (mm).

Finally, set extraction frequency at which XtractIM does the simulation. The results of the simulation will be used to analytically extract equivalent circuits. In this example, set the extraction frequency to 100 MHz.

It’s time to click Next and reclassify any signals that were incorrectly classified amongst power/ground/signal nets.

Exporting the Package Models, the Final Steps

Click OK on the Package Modelling Form and the design is exported from APD Plus to XtractIM.

Since you chose GUI and not batch, the XtractIM application is started alongside APD Plus. The two applications communicate with each other and are in perfect synchronization with each other. For instance, if you zoom in in one application, the view in the other application zooms as well.

If you explore your APD Plus working directory, you can see that two new files are created:

• .spd (Sigrity layout)
• .ximx (XtractIM workspace)

The workspace file points to the layout file and it can be directly opened from the XtractIM application.

I hope this blogpost helps you to successfully export an APD Plus IC package designs to XtractIM. You can now extract models from the package and assess electrical performance in the XtractIM application.

To learn in detail about this flow, watch the Exporting a Package Design to XtractIM training video on the Cadence Support portal. Click the training byte link now or visit Cadence Support and search for this training video under Video Library.

For lab instructions and a downloadable design, enroll for the Allegro Sigrity Package Assessment and Model Extraction online training.

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