VLSI IC emission models for system simulation

The electromagnetic emission of complex very large scale integrated circuits is determined by their operation activity plus the manifold noise propagation paths through the on-chip power routing, the package traces and the planes and traces on the printed circuit board. Good simulation models have to serve two main interests: (1) identification of emission-related IC design weaknesses and estimation of real electromagnetic emission from (1) the IC manufacturer's point of view and (2) the system manufacturer's point of view. This paper presents the general setup for a full system emission simulation and explains the application of this model on a 32-bit automotive microcontroller containing 20 million transistors. Tool-related accuracy limitations of this VLSI emission modeling approach are discussed.