The student attending the course will learn how to - understand the main mechanisms of signal and power deterioration in electronic systems - analyze qualitatively and quantitatively and provide simple models for most common signal/power integrity issues - apply design methods and tools to maximize system reliability

Circuit theory and basic Electromagnetics. Signals and spectra.

Introduction to signal and power integrity aware design. Modeling and simulation approaches. Physical description, models, and design rules for electrical interconnects. Scalar and multi-conductor transmission lines characterization and modeling in frequency and time domain. Signal integrity effects: mismatch and terminations, crosstalk, losses. Robust signaling schemes. Shielding and twisting. Power distribution systems and power integrity at chip, package and board level. Frequency and time-domain modeling and simulation. Electromagnetic interference and radiation. Immunity.

The entire course activity is in presence. About 60% of the time is dedicated to in-class lectures by the course instructors. The material presented during the lectures, including examples, will be assessed in the written part of the exam. An additional 20% of the time is dedicated to in-class practice sessions, part of which will require use of numerical simulation tools (SPICE and MATLAB) running on each student's PC. The remaining 20% of the time is dedicated lab sessions, mostly conducted in a hardware lab. Students will be conducting a number of experiments in groups of three. These experiments will lead to a written report that will contribute to the final exam. As part of the course material, students will receive a set of MATLAB and SPICE files that will guide and simplify the execution of various simulation problems assigned during the semester. Some of these problems will be assigned as homework, to be conducted in groups of three students, and will lead to concise written reports that will be part of the exam. The latter assignments will be based on real structures from partner companies (currently, IBM and STMicroelectronics), so that part of the exam will be focused on solving problems of practical industrial interest. Representatives from the partner companies are expected to provide external invited lectures during the semester.

- Handout of the lessons - C.R.Paul, "Introduction to electromagnetic compatibility," 2nd edition, Wiley - H.Ott, "Electromagnetic compatibility engineering," Wiley - S.H.Hall and H.L.Heck, "Advanced signal integrity for high-speed digital designs"

Lecture slides; Exercises; Lab exercises; Video lectures (previous years); Simulation tools;

Exam: Written test; Group essay;

The exam includes three parts: a written test and two written reports collecting the results of hardware labs and software/simulation labs, respectively. 1) The written test consists in 5 problems (6 points each) to be solved in 90 min, open book and use of electronic calculators allowed. The total score of the written test is 30. 2) The Hardware lab activity conducted during the semester will lead to a written report by each team of three students. This report will be evaluated with a maximum score of 20 assessing both technical content and quality of the report (structure, language, figures, etc). Each team will present the report during a brief oral discussion, which will be evaluated up to 10 points. The total score for the hardware lab is 30. 3) The Software/simulation lab activity (industrial homework assignments) conducted during the semester will lead to a written report by each team of three students. This report will be evaluated with a maximum score of 20 assessing both technical content and quality of the report (structure, language, figures, etc). Each team will present the report during a brief oral discussion, which will be evaluated up to 10 points. The total score for the software lab is 30. The final exam score will be the average of the points earned in the written test and in the two lab parts of the exam. Should a student be unable to attend the hardware lab (e.g., because of his/her period abroad), the activity will be replaced by a project that can be handled remotely.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.