Unit information: Device Interconnect - Principles and Practice in 2014/15

Unit name	Device Interconnect - Principles and Practice
Unit code	EENGM4230
Credit points	10
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Railton
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

Modern electronic systems are composed of interconnected devices, communicating in various ways, closely or loosely coupled and at a variety of distances of separation and voltage. A number of techniques and standards have grown up to facilitate this, and they demonstrate a wide range of complexity and performance capability according to their specific application domain: on-chip chip-to-chip, backplane/motherboard, network/switch-fabric, etc.

This unit addresses the practical issues which arise when it is required to transmit high speed signals over moderate distances, such as USB or Ethernet cable, and over short distances, such as between components on a Printed Circuit Board or Integrated Circuit.

By looking at the physics of what happens within a PCB and on an interconnecting cable, principles will be established which, if followed, will lead to designs which are more reliable.

Elements

• Transmission line structures and their properties
• Crosstalk due to mutual inductance and capacitance
• Signal Integrity problems including ringing, ground bounce and echo
• Differential signalling, Differential and Common Mode currents
• Use of image planes and the design of multi-layer Printed Circuit Boards
• Modelling and prediction of interconnect properties
• Case studies of some practical interconnects: USB, HDMI, IDE etc.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the unit a student will have a solid knowledge of how transmission line and electromagnetic theory can be applied to the successful design of interconnections within a Printed Circuit Board and over cables. The student will have knowledge of the precautions which need to be taken in the design of high speed PCBs in order to achieve good performance. In particular, the student will have knowledge of the following issues and how they impact the design process.

• Properties of transmission line structures
• Mutual inductance and capacitance in interconnects
• Cross-talk, ground-bounce and Signal Integrity
• Electromagnetic Interference and Radiation
• The use of image planes and multi-layer Printed Circuit Boards

Teaching Information

Combination of lectures and coursework

Assessment Information

Name: Coursework

% of final mark: 20

Name: Terminal exam

% of final mark: 80

Description: 2 hour written paper

Reading and References

Strongly recommended:

• Johnson, H., & Graham, M., High-Speed Digital Design, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0133957241

Recommended:

• Hall, S.H., H, G.W., & McCall, J.A., High-Speed Digital System Design, Wiley-IEEE Press, ISBN 0471360902