Microcontroller emission simulation based on power consumption and clock system

Abstract

Various approaches exist to build simulation models for the electromagnetic emission (EME) of digital integrated circuits [1-6]. However, several drawbacks constrain their configuration and usage. A new modelling approach is described in this paper. It is based on the main EME-relevant parameters of digital circuits, i.e. dynamic power and clock rates. This information should be even available before the IC design phase starts. With this approach, the models can be created without any additional information about module size, functional patterns or embedded decoupling capacitors. Thus it can be used to perform design studies wrt. clock rate selection, clock modulation and impact of dynamic power consumption. The modelling and simulation software can even handle very complex ICs like high-end 32-bit microcontrollers. The program is named EMISoC which stands for "EMI simulation of systems-on-chip". It has been validated for existing 65 nm CMOS designs and is currently used for emission estimations of future 40 nm microcontrollers for automotive applications. This paper describes the EMISoC modelling approach, features and limitations.