The new technology helps deliver shorter, more predictable design cycles for PCB designs. With significant improvements for designers using high-density interconnect (HDI), the technology will be of particular value to customers in the high-end consumer electronics market, as well as those in segments such as computing and networking where users are seeking a constraint-driven HDI design flow.
New technology introduced in Allegro PCB Editor for HDI designs includes new objects, an extensive set of new rules for micro-vias, an enhanced via-transition use model, and changes to the entire PCB design flow to enable a comprehensive constraint-driven HDI design flow. Design partitioning has been enhanced with new capabilities for partitioning the design horizontally and adding soft boundaries to allow users to work in parallel more efficiently, further shortening the design cycle.
Click here for the PDF 16.2 Release presentation or catch the highlights below
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Allegro Design Entry HDL is a design environment that
supports behavioural and structural design descriptions captured in text
and graphics. It includes block-editing functions for quick architectural
design. This schematic-based design entry solution is fully integrated
within the Allegro platform.
Automatic
Table of Contents Generator - In many of the designs you create,
the first sheet of the schematic contains the table of contents (TOC). A
TOC provides a quick view of the design contents in single or multiple
pages. Allegro DE-HDL 16.2 provides functionality for creating and
automatically updating TOC with design information. This feature replaces
any indigenous solutions that you might have been using until now. The
automatic TOC generator feature saves you design time, as it does not
require any manual validation.
Cross-References as
Links – The Cross-Reference (CRefer) utility is used for
verification and debugging of designs by following a signal's path
throughout the design. CRefer traces out the flow of a signal all over the
design and by annotating some properties on the schematic makes the signal
navigation simpler. In the 16.2 release, these property values are
converted to hyperlinks. You can now click these links and navigate to the
location as specified in the property value.
Physical and
Spacing Constraints - The 16.2 release allows you to connect the
Allegro Constraint Manager to Allegro DE-HDL. You can create, view, edit,
and assign physical and spacing constraints to a group of nets or directly
to nets in addition to electrical constraints.
Physical constrains in Allegro Design Entry HDL (Click for larger image)
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Unconnected Pins - Allegro DE-HDL now provides a method to
quickly identify all the components which have unconnected
pins.
Layout-Driven RF Design - In release 16.2, a
layout-driven RF PCB Import flow has been integrated with the traditional
import physical flow. If your designs contain RF circuitry, you can
synchronize the RF circuitry in the schematic with the
layout.
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Integrated with the Cadence Allegro PCB design and route suite, Cadence Allegro PCB SI provides advanced signal integrity (SI) analysis both pre- and post-layout. Operating early in the design cycle allows for “what-if” scenarios, sets more accurate design constraints, and reduces design iterations. Allegro PCB SI reads and writes directly to the editor database for fast, accurate integration of results. Along with a SPICE-based simulator, it provides behavioural modeling and an embedded field solver with a robust modeling language. Bus architecture can be explored pre-layout to compare alternatives, or post-layout for a comprehensive analysis of all associated signals. The Cadence Allegro PCB PI Option provides modeling of all power distribution characteristics.
Electromagnetic
Solution 2D Full Wave Field Solver - EMS2D in Allegro PCB SI and
Cadence OrCAD® Signal Explorer provides the full-frequency range analysis
from DC, through the middle frequency range which covers the skin effect,
to the THz range of the electromagnetic interactions which address
resonances, radiations and EM signal integrity issues.
EMS2D is
implemented using the finite element method (FEM), which complements the
Allegro PCB SI moment-based BEM2D field solver. EMS2D combines multiple EM
computation modules, static, quasi-TEM, and full-wave analysis.
Additionally, EMS2D is able to analyse arbitrary transmission line-type
and waveguide structures over PCB cross-sections and provide characterized
models in RLGC and/or S-Parameter format.
Enhanced Etch
Factor Support - This feature is an enhancement of the
functionality that defines a trapezoidal cross-section for clines on
conductor and plane layers. This capability differs from the existing
trapezoidal_angle_in_degree environment variable in the following
respects: allows different degree of angle for clines on different layers,
allows you to set the degree of angle for either the top or the bottom of
the cline, and supports graphical displays that allow you to view where
you apply the angle and line width. Additionally, if you specify an etch
angle factor for a cline within a CPW structure, EMS2D automatically
applies the specified angle value to the bottom edges of the surrounding
ground shapes when the angle is something other than 90
degrees.
Channel Analysis Developer's Toolkit – A
new Channel Analysis Developer’s Toolkit is included with the 16.2
release. It contains sample topology files and DML models that let you
analyse a real system consisting of advanced SERDES devices and
interconnect structures from chip to board to package within the Allegro
PCB SI and Cadence SiP SI environments.
ICM
Support - Model Integrity now provides complete support for the
IBIS interconnect modeling specification and the ability to translate ICM
model syntax to ESpice blackbox or PackageModel DML formats for use in
simulations.
Non-Native Database Support - For
system-level configurations, you can now open designs created in other
applications. For example, Allegro PCB SI can open a .mcm design created
in Cadence Allegro Package Designer or a .sip design created in SiP
solutions. Because designs created in another tool may not contain signal
integrity data that your application requires (voltage properties,
cross-section data, model assignments, etc.), only limited editing of the
non-native drawing is allowed.
Power Integrity for
Packaging – You can now model and analyse power delivery network
systems for your package designs in a similar manner as you do for board
analysis, using the Allegro Power Integrity (PI) functionality. You can
configure parameters for field solving and 3-D modeling as prerequisites
for setting target impedance for a selected power net, assigning port
types, grouping pins, and identifying current profile and/or simple,
single excitation sources for die pins. In addition, you can place
decoupling capacitors (decaps) in your designs and extract equivalent
circuits for simulation. Together with Allegro PCB PI for SiP
Solutions/Allegro Package Designer and PCB designs, Allegro PCB PI for
packaging provides a total chip – package – board co-design
flow.
Eye Mask and Measurement Enhancements -
SigWave now lets you create eye masks that you can save in .sim files and
view/edit when you display the waveform in Eye Diagram mode. The eye masks
you create can be embedded in DML models and used in all standard, bus
analysis, and channel analysis simulations.
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Cadence
Allegro PCB Editor 16.2 release focuses on productivity improvements in
HDI design, etch edit and component placement, colour and graphics, and
manufacturing applications. The constraint driven flow has been enhanced
to better support the diverse set of rules required for HDI
design.

Allegro constraint-driven HDI features a proven, robust constraint-driven PCB design flow; comprehensive set of design rules for all different styles of HDI designs from a hybrid build-up-core combination to a complete build-up process such as ALIVH; automation for adding HDI interconnect to shorten time to create correct-by-construction designs. More Information
Design Partitioning
Enhancements - Design partitioning is now available to both PCB
and Packaging products and better equipped to handle bus-intensive and HDI
designs. Partition strategy can now be both vertical and horizontal, which
allows team members to work under and over each other. The addition of
soft nets permits partition designers to route across
boundaries.

Differential Pair Enhancements -
Differential pair line width and gap can now be driven by constraint
region rules. The Physical domain has been enhanced to include additional
diff pair rules (minimum line spacing, tolerance) allowing variance by
layer. Diff pair pin-swapping options, polarity, and pair have been added
to the swap application and are driven entirely by library pin group
assignments.
Etch Edit Applications - A new
add-via methodology based on the concept of multiple alternate layers is
introduced in 16.2. The working layer model in combination with a new via
popup GUI, localizes the steps of layer transition near the point of
occurrence. A major benefit of the new Working Layer model is to
automatically or semi-automatically add sequential blind and buried vias
on the path to the destination layer.
Dynamic Unused Pad
Suppression - By removing pads, higher routing densities are
achieved by allowing traces to be closer to the edge of the hole. On HDI
designs, candidates for pad removal can be the unused internal layer pads
of the core via. The Unused Pad Suppression user interface controls the
suppression state for pins and vias. Suppression can be applied to any or
all of the inner signal subclasses.


Placement Application Mode - Efforts in
improving tool usability and performance have been a strategic part of
16.0 releases. This effort continues in 16.2 where the focus is on
component applications. The foundation for such enhancements begins with
the introduction of the fourth application mode called placement
application mode, a tuned, high-performance editing environment designed
to increase efficiency during component placement
sessions.
Placement Replication - The re-use and
repetition of circuit blocks in the Cadence flow has traditionally been
accomplished with the Design Re-Use Module application, which requires
both front and back end participation and is limited to Cadence-supported
schematic systems. Building on that technology, a less-restrictive,
intuitive use model is desired that limits the dependency of front end
requirements to just the traditional netlist. The placement of a "seed"
circuit followed by a selection of randomly placed components generates
the replicated circuits based on common device types, symbol names,
values, and connectivity. Circuits that often get replicated are memory
modules, IO channels and capacitor schemes associated with high pin count
devices.