Substrate coupling noise issues in silicon technology

Abstract

Several factors are combining to increase concern about substrate coupling noise, or crosstalk, in silicon integrated circuits: there is a growing use of analog and mixed signal circuits in semiconductor products, there is greater integration density, and circuit frequencies are steadily increasing. Although the basic principles of electrical signal conduction through a semiconducting substrate are well understood, there is still a relatively poor understanding of the practical aspects of substrate-coupled noise: how important is substrate crosstalk in real applications? How good are the design guidelines for reducing crosstalk, or are accurate substrate modeling and simulation tools a necessity? What technology features can be used to reduce the coupling? This paper reviews progress in answering these questions.