Time-domain electromagnetic analysis of interconnects in a computer chip package

The determination of an equivalent circuit to approximate the behavior of an interconnect in a computer package is addressed. Equivalent circuits allow the analysis of a complete interconnect path in a circuit simulator where a full-wave analysis tool would require more memory or computer time than in currently available. Two important components of an interconnect in a computer package are uniform transmission lines, such as a microstrip line or a stripline, and discontinuities in the interconnects, such as a via between two transmission lines. A methodology for deriving a frequency-dependent description of coupled transmission lines and an equivalent circuit of a via using time-domain full-wave solutions of Maxwell's equations is presented