This research is concerned with the analysis and modeling of electrical performance of high-speed interconnects in electronics packaging. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, which is a full-wave solution of Maxwell's equations in three dimensions, is used to simulate signal propagation through interconnects. Topics pursued are: 1. Development of a computational scheme for conformed finite-difference grid to model complex-shape interconnects. The objective of this scheme is to enhance the resolution and accuracy of numerical solutions while maintaining the computation efficiency associated with the regular rectangular finite-difference grid. 2. Analysis and modeling of electrical properties of interconnection discontinuities in electronics packaging. Issues involved in this topic include: modeling of electrical characteristics of interconnection discontinuities over the frequency range from dc to tens of gigahertz; evaluation of impacts of parasitics associated with interconnection discontinuities on the propagation of high-clock rate signals; and development of design guidelines for typical interconnection discontinuities in high performance electronics packaging.
