Static timing analysis of high-speed boards

Static timing analysis is becoming an indispensable tool for the verification of integrated circuit designs. Less well-known is its applicability to the design of high-speed printed-circuit boards. Timing is the key to performance in today's designs. Given the soaring clock rates in the components of circuit boards, a faster transmission of signals from one component to another will improve system performance. It is impossible to analyze by hand every important signal path in a layout of any size but static timing analysis is exhaustive and therefore a convenient method of ensuring that the design meets its timing requirements.