High-Speed Board Design Techniques
The most important factor in the design of many systems today is speed. 66-MHz thru 200-MHz processors are common; 233 and 266-MHz processors are becoming readily available. The demand for high speed results from: a) the requirement that systems perform complex tasks in a time frame considered comfortable by humans; and b) the ability of component manufacturers to produce high-speed devices. An example of a) is the large amount of information that must be processed to perform even the most rudimentary computer animation. Currently, Programmable Array Logic (PAL?) devices are available with propagation delays of 4.5 ns, and complex PLDs such as MACH? have propagation delays of 5 ns. While this might seem fast, it is not the propagation delay that creates the potential for problems, but rather the fast edge rates needed to obtain the fast propagation delays. In the future, much faster devices will become available, with correspondingly faster edge rates.
Designing high-speed systems requires not only fast components, but also intelligent and careful design. The analog aspect of the devices is as important as the digital. In high-speed systems, noise generation is a prime concern. The high frequencies can radiate and cause interference. The corresponding fast edge rates can result in ringing, reflections, and crosstalk. If unchecked, this noise can seriously degrade system performance.