Product: IConnect Software
Free Electron Technology (FET) is a fab-less high-speed analog chip design and test company specializing in 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps communication chips design and development. Presently, FET has a product offering of 10 Gbps laser driver, 10 Gbps 16:1 Serializer with Integrated Clock Multiplier Unit and 10 Gbps 1:16 Deserializer with Integrated Clock Data Recovery. They have demonstrated capability in design, assembly, test and characterization of high-speed chips from concept to small volume production. The Company also offers engineering consulting services.
Bill Chatterjee, Director of Operations for Free Electron Technology is responsible for all Operations, test, and manufacturing related issues at the company.
FET uses TDA System's IConnect Software for Analysis of High Frequency (>5GHz) packages, substrates and test boards. IConnect was used to test FET's, low power 16:1 Serializer / 1:16 DeSerializer for datacom/telcom applications. It is also used to cross check of high pincount substrates for various customers.
When asked to describe his experience using IConnect, Chatterjee said:
"IConnect has a very short learning curve and is extremely easy to use. It gives us the ability to validate our designs prior to going to volume production. We extract physical models from the prototype build and compared them to the design expectations from 3-D modeling software. We wanted to make sure that the losses induced by the substrates and test boards were quantifiable. Though we used "standard" models for design check, the measured validation was necessary proof.
TDA Systems IConnect delivers what it claims, the simplicity of use, and extensive functionality coupled with support from the engineering and marketing teams that is second to none.
TDA is very aware of the operational needs of start-up/consulting companies, which helped us come to a business agreement quickly and start utilizing the tools within days of starting the original dialogue with them."
Summary:
As modern signaling standards push digital designs to the gigahertz and gigabit ranges, interconnect performance becomes a key factor in enabling reliable system operation. Signal Integrity issues such as reflections, crosstalk, frequency dependent transmission line loss and dispersion can significantly degrade system performance and reliability. Ability to simulate and accurately predict the effect of these signal integrity issues is critical to achieving a working design, and this ability is contingent on the designer's ability to obtain accurate interconnect models for each part of the interconnect link from the driver chip, through the package into the daughtercard; through a high-speed backplane connector to the backplane, and to the cable interconnect between subsystems. Other factors also come into play. In the present environment, cost savings associated with the necessary test and measurement are also a key factor.
TDA Systems helps you validate this information quickly and accurately, thus saving time, money and precious engineering resources.