Most high-speed serial links don’t get verified once routing is complete because the process is time consuming and skill-intensive – and SI experts are in short supply. As a result, most serial channels are laid out according to rules, verified through manual inspection and released to fabrication without thorough analysis. Unverified channels can result in lengthy (and hectic) prototype debugging, board spins and schedule slips. Until now, there has been no other choice.
This paper discusses an automated post-route verification process with HyperLynx that can verify all the channels in a design for detailed compliance with a SerDes protocol standard – automatically, overnight.