As signal speeds increase into the Gbps range, the use of modeling and simulation is more important than ever before. However, using the right tool for the right job has become critical, since all simulation techniques have limitations. Standard SPICE or transmission line tools are only effective for cases with a true transmission line, and are completely inappropriate for cases where the signal is no longer TEM. Quasi-static tools for L.R.C. parameter extraction are also accurate over a limited frequency range. And, finally, full-wave tools are accurate since they make no simplifying assumptions but must be used with great care, since they can easily provide an incorrect result.

Model validation has never been more important. It is not enough to simply believe the result is correct because someone else made a model with the same commercial tool and seemed to get the right result. Many little things can cause errors without the user being aware of the errors. Simulation tools will provide a very accurate answer to the question it was asked, but was the question entered properly? Measurements can help validate simulations, but measurements at very high frequencies are difficult and often introduce other effects that can mask the effects under study.

This panel will include a number of experts in different modeling and validation techniques. Each panel member will provide a short presentation, and then the audience will be invited to ask questions of the panelists.

Bruce Archambeault Distinguished Engineer IBM

Dr. Archambeault is a member of the Board of Directors for the IEEE EMC Society and a past Board of Directors member for the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society. He has served as a past IEEE/EMCS Distinguished Lecturer and associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility. In 1997, he joined IBM in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he is the lead EMC engineer, responsible for EMC tool development and use on a variety of products. He has written or co-written a number of papers in computational electromagnetics, mostly applied to real-world EMC applications.

James Drewniak Professor University of Missouri-Rolla

Dr. Drewniak received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1985, 1987, and 1991, respectively. In 1991, he joined the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Missouri-Rolla, where he is one of the principal faculty in the Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory. His research and teaching interests include electromagnetic compatibility in high-speed digital and mixed-signal designs, electronic packaging, and electromagnetic compatibility in power electronic-based systems.

Jun Fan Senior Hardware Engineer NCR

Dr. Fan research interests include signal integrity and EMI designs in high-speed digital systems, dc power-bus modeling, PCB noise reduction, and differential signaling. Dr. Fan received the Conference Best Paper Award from the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society in 2000. He serves as chair of TC-9 Computational Electromagnetics Committee of the IEEE EMC Society. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, in 1994 and 1997, respectively. He received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla in 2000.

Howard Johnson Signal Integrity Columnist EDN Magazine

Dr. Johnson pioneered the development of many new technologies, including PhoneMail, the first integrated voice messaging system; and fast Ethernet and gigabit Ethernet, as chief technical editor for those standards. He is the signal integrity columnist for EDN magazine and lectures regularly at Oxford University and other sites around the globe. He is the author of "High-Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic."