Behavioral, Parameterized, and Broadband Modeling of Wired Interconnects with Internal Discontinuities

We present a complete workflow for the extraction of behavioral reduced-order models of wired interconnect links, including an explicit dependence on geometrical or material parameters describing internal discontinuities that may affect the quality of signal transmission. Thanks to the adopted structure, the models are easily identified from sampled frequency responses at discrete points in the parameter space. Such responses are obtained from off-the-shelf full-wave solvers. A novel algorithm is used for checking and enforcing model stability and passivity, two fundamental requirements for reliably running stable transient simulations. Finally, an ad hoc procedure is devised to synthesize the models as parameterized circuit equivalents, compatible with any SPICE solver. Several examples illustrate and validate the workflow, confirming the suitability of the proposed approach for what-if, parameter sweep, design centering, and optimization through time-domain simulations, possibly including nonlinear devices and terminations.