The continued increase in power and speed requirements of microprocessors and other ASICs presents new challenges for delivering power. While power integrity often brings images to mind of in-depth decoupling schemes, resistance and inductance also play an increasingly significant role. Besides the concern of efficiency in the power distribution system (PDS), resistance must be controlled to ensure the compensation circuitry of the voltage regulator can adequately maintain the voltage within specified limits. Parasitic inductance limits the ability to draw current from various locations in the PDS, resulting in the need not only for choosing the values of decoupling capacitors, but also for judiciously placing the capacitors so they can be effective. This presentation will facilitate a discussion of the various parts of the PDS, and how decisions can be made to ensure the smooth operation of power delivery. After the complete power distribution system is discussed, a brief discussion on how various parts may play a role in EMI will follow.

David Hockanson, Ph.D. is a Senior Staff Engineer with the EMC Design group of Sun Microsystems, Inc. He is responsible for developing novel solutions to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues that can be implemented confidently in early design stages to ensure compliance to worldwide EMC regulations without costly late-stage system changes. He also serves as a troubleshooter for Sun and OEM designs should EMC issues arise.

David received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He was a National Science Foundation Fellow during his tenure as a graduate student, and came to Sun as a Member of Technical Staff after completing his doctoral program in 1997. Early responsibilities were centered around ensuring that Sun's products meant the requirements set by worldwide regulatory agencies. In 2003, he began focusing on determining more effective means of complying through physics-based design techniques employed on chips, boards, and chassis.