Whois & Analysis for signalintegrityjournal.com

Signal-to-noise ratio (abbreviated SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise.

It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power, often expressed in decibels.

A ratio higher than 1:1 (greater than 0 dB) indicates more signal than noise.

While SNR is commonly quoted for electrical signals, it can be applied to any form of signal (such as isotope levels in an ice core or biochemical signaling between cells).

Signal integrity or SI is a set of measures of the quality of an electrical signal.

In digital electronics, a stream of binary values is represented by a voltage (or current) waveform.

However, digital signals are fundamentally analog in nature, and all signals are subject to effects such as noise, distortion, and loss.

Over short distances and at low bit rates, a simple conductor can transmit this with sufficient fidelity.

At high bit rates and over longer distances or through various mediums, various effects can degrade the electrical signal to the point where errors occur and the system or device fails.

Signal integrity engineering is the task of analyzing and mitigating these effects.

It is an important activity at all levels of electronics packaging and assembly, from internal connections of an integrated circuit (IC), through the package, the printed circuit board (PCB), the backplane, and inter-system connections.

While there are some common themes at these various levels, there are also practical considerations, in particular the interconnect flight time versus the bit period, that cause substantial differences in the approach to signal integrity for on-chip connections versus chip-to-chip connections.

Power integrity or PI is an analysis to check whether the desired voltage and current are met from source to destination.

Today, power integrity plays a major role in the success and failure of new electronic products.

There are several coupled aspects of PI: on the chip, in the chip package, on the circuit board, and in the system.

Three main issues must be resolved to ensure power integrity at the printed circuit board level:

Electromagnetic interference (EMI), also called radio-frequency interference (RFI) when in the radio frequency spectrum, is a disturbance generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling, or conduction.

The disturbance may degrade the performance of the circuit or even stop it from functioning.

In the case of a data path, these effects can range from an increase in error rate to a total loss of the data.

Both man-made and natural sources generate changing electrical currents and voltages that can cause EMI: automobile ignition systems, mobile phones, thunderstorms, the Sun, and the Northern Lights.

EMI frequently affects AM radios.

It can also affect mobile phones, FM radios, and televisions.

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is the branch of electrical engineering concerned with the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy which may cause unwanted effects such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) or even physical damage in operational equipment.

The goal of EMC is the correct operation of different equipment in a common electromagnetic environment.