Device-Specific Power Delivery Network (PDN) Tool 2.0 User Guide

ID 683293
Date 8/24/2021
Public
Document Table of Contents

1.1. Overview

Intel's PDN tool 2.0 helps PCB designers estimate the number, value, and type of decoupling capacitors needed to develop an efficient PCB decoupling strategy. It allows you to do this during the early design phase, without going through extensive pre-layout simulations.

The PDN tool 2.0 is a Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet that calculates an impedance profile based on your input. For a given power supply, the spreadsheet only requires basic design information to calculate the impedance profile and the optimum number of capacitors to meet the desired impedance target (ZTARGET). Basic design information includes the board stackup, transient current information, and ripple specifications, for example. The tool also provides the device- and power rail-specific PCB decoupling cut-off frequency (FEFFECTIVE). The results obtained through the PDN tool 2.0 are intended only as a preliminary estimate and not as a specification. For an accurate impedance profile, Intel recommends a post-layout simulation approach using any available EDA tool, such as Cadence PowerSI, Ansys SIWave, and Cadence Allegro PCB PI.

There are two versions of the PDN tool 2.0. One version is for 20-nm devices (which also includes the 14-nm Intel® Stratix® 10 devices), and one version is for all other devices listed below. The device families supported by the Intel device-specific PDN tool 2.0 are shown at the top of the Release Notes tab and they include:

  • 14-nm devices:
    • Intel® Stratix® 10 GX, SX, MX, TX, DX, NX
  • 20-nm devices:
    • Intel® Arria® 10
    • Intel® Cyclone® 10 GX
  • 28-nm devices:
    • Arria V
    • Arria V GZ
    • Cyclone® V
    • Stratix® V
  • 40-nm devices:
    • Arria II GZ
  • 55-nm devices:
    • Intel® MAX® 10
  • 60-nm devices:
    • Cyclone® IV E and GX