Substrate design assisting device, substrate design assisting system, and data structure related to circuit information

Abstract

A substrate design assisting device 1 assists in arranging, on a wiring substrate, a bypass capacitor to be connected to a power supply line and to a ground line via at least a pair of a power supply-side through conductor and a ground-side through conductor. The substrate design assisting device 1 comprises: a storage part 30 which stores therein circuit information representing a unit which includes the pair of the power supply-side through conductor and the ground-side through conductor and a capacitor element connected in between the power supply-side through conductor and the ground-side through conductor, for each of a plurality of prescribed pitches between the pair of the power supply-side through conductor and the ground-side through conductor; an input reception part 21 that acquires a pitch that is set by a user, that is between at least the pair of the power supply-side through conductor and the ground-side through conductor, and that corresponds to one of the plurality of prescribed pitches; and a calculation part 22 that acquires, from the storage part 30, the circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input reception part 21, and calculates the impedance of the power supply line on the basis of the acquired circuit information. The circuit information stored in the storage part 30 includes an equivalent circuit 50 representing the unit and / or a parameter corresponding to at least a portion of the equivalent circuit representing the unit. In the equivalent circuit 50 representing the unit, an equivalent circuit 60 representing the capacitor element includes capacitance components C1, C2, C3 set according to the corresponding prescribed pitch.

Description

Circuit board design support device, circuit board design support system, and data structure relating to circuit information

[0001] The present invention relates to a board design support device, a board design support system, and a data structure relating to circuit information.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes the reproduction of an equivalent circuit model when a single passive component has a plurality of elements within the same component.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a multi-terminal capacitor element that is embedded inside a substrate.

[0004] JP 2015-170004 A JP 2020-167361 A

[0005] When designing the power supply lines of a printed circuit board, the layout of passive components such as capacitors (for example, bypass capacitors) and inductors is considered at the same time as the layout of the power supply lines. In this case, the transmission characteristics of the entire power supply line including the board, such as the impedance characteristics, had to be evaluated by preparing the following components as separate elements and combining them: - An equivalent circuit model of the board consisting of wiring, penetrating conductors (through holes and vias), board material, etc. - A precise equivalent circuit model of the passive components (capacitors, inductors, etc.) mounted on the board

[0006] Here, the measurement model that forms the basis of the equivalent circuit model for the "board" or "component" must be capable of accurate measurement. Only when the measurement model can be measured without being affected by the measurement can it accurately represent the behavior of the elements from the connection node onwards.

[0007] However, for components such as the capacitor element described in Patent Document 2, in which multiple through conductors are connected as take-out terminals to a single capacitor element (two electrodes via a dielectric) built into a substrate, the difficulty of obtaining a measured model of the component itself increases dramatically, especially when the component itself has large X and Y dimensions.

[0008] When measuring an actual model of such a component by setting up two ports like a normal two-terminal type capacitor, the capacitor components at locations relatively far from the port position are visible through the internal capacitor path or wiring, so measurement can only be performed with the RL component on an unrelated path added.

[0009] However, the above problem can be eliminated by measuring using dedicated jigs such as boards and sockets designed to draw the same impedance from each terminal. However, unlike general capacitor components whose sizes are standardized, the size and layout of these components can vary from customer to customer, so in order to perform this measurement method, the design must be assembled into a finished product. However, while bypass capacitors required for power lines are generally selected based on a certain degree of estimation of the required impedance characteristics, if an actual measurement model cannot be obtained without first manufacturing the finished product, it is difficult to respond quickly to customer needs.

[0010] The model described in Patent Document 1 also only reproduces the behavior of a passive component alone, and the impedance of the entire board can only be reproduced by combining this model after the wiring design of the wiring board.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a board design support device, a board design support system, and a data structure related to circuit information that are suitable for designing a power supply line to which a bypass capacitor is connected via a plurality of through conductors.

[0012] a circuit board design support device that supports the arrangement, on a wiring board, of bypass capacitors that are connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, and that includes: a storage unit that stores circuit information representing a unit including a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductors, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors; an input receiving unit that acquires a pitch between at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors that is set by a user and that corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined pitches; and a calculation unit that acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit and calculates an impedance of the power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, wherein the circuit information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and parameters corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit, and the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes an equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element that includes a capacitance component that is set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0013] A board design support system of the present invention is a board design support system that supports the arrangement, on a wiring board, of bypass capacitors that are connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, and includes: a storage unit that stores circuit information representing a unit including a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductors, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors; an input receiving unit that acquires a pitch between at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors that is set by a user and corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined pitches; and a calculation unit that acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit and calculates an impedance of the power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, wherein the circuit information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and parameters corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit, and the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes an equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element that includes a capacitance component set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0014] The data structure relating to circuit information of the present invention is a data structure relating to circuit information used in a board design support device or board design support system, which comprises an input receiving unit, a storage unit, and a calculation unit, and which supports the placement on a wiring board of bypass capacitors connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, and the data structure includes circuit information stored in the storage unit and representing units each including a pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, and the input receiving unit acquires the circuit information representing units each including a pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, and a capacitor element connected between the pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, and the data structure relating to circuit information used in a board design support device or board design support system The calculation unit acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit based on the pitch between at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor that is set and that corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined pitches, and the circuit information is used in a process of calculating the impedance of the power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, the circuit information including at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and parameters corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit, and the equivalent circuit representing the unit is a data structure related to circuit information, in which an equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element includes a capacitance component set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a board design support device, a board design support system, and a data structure relating to circuit information that are suitable for designing a power supply line to which a bypass capacitor is connected via a plurality of through conductors.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a capacitor portion included in a wiring board, the design of which is supported by a board design support device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a plan view taken along lines A and A' in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a plan view taken along lines B and B' in FIG. 1. FIG. 2C is a plan view taken along lines C and C' in FIG. 1. FIG. 2D is a plan view taken along lines D and D' in FIG. 1. FIG. 2E is a plan view taken along line E in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the board design support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of an equivalent circuit representing a unit. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating another example of an equivalent circuit representing a unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an equivalent circuit representing a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure related to circuit information stored in a storage unit, illustrating a case where an equivalent circuit representing a unit is included as circuit information. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of a data structure related to circuit information stored in a storage unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an equivalent circuit representing units connected in parallel. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit representing a capacitor element. FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing a unit. FIG. 10B is a diagram showing another example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing a unit. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing a unit. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of a data structure related to circuit information stored in a storage unit, illustrating a case where parameters are included as circuit information. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing yet another example of a data structure related to circuit information stored in a storage unit, illustrating a case where parameters are included as circuit information. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing yet another example of a data structure related to circuit information stored in a storage unit, illustrating a case where an equivalent circuit and parameters are included as circuit information. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing yet another example of a data structure related to circuit information stored in a storage unit, illustrating a case where an equivalent circuit and parameters are included as circuit information. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing units connected in parallel. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing units connected in parallel. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another example of an equivalent circuit representing a unit.Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a grid and power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors arranged on its intersections. Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a grid and power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors arranged on its intersections. Fig. 21 is a flowchart explaining an example of the operation of the board design assistance apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0017] The following describes the board design support device, board design support system, and data structure related to circuit information of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the following configurations, and can be modified and applied as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. Note that a combination of two or more of the individual desirable configurations described below also constitutes the present invention.

[0018] (Embodiment 1) In a board design support device according to this embodiment, when a user places at least one pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors on a wiring board, a capacitor element is simultaneously placed between each pair of through conductors. That is, when a pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors is placed, a unit including the pair of through conductors and the capacitor element connected therebetween is automatically set. Furthermore, an equivalent circuit that precisely reproduces this unit including the pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors is prepared in advance, specifically, an equivalent circuit including a capacitance component corresponding to the pitch between the pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors. Furthermore, an equivalent circuit that precisely reproduces scaling when multiple units are connected is prepared in advance, specifically, an equivalent circuit corresponding to the number of parallel-connected multiple units. Then, by calculating the impedance of the power supply line using this equivalent circuit (or a parameter corresponding to the equivalent circuit), the impedance characteristics of a power supply line to which bypass capacitors are connected via multiple through conductors can be accurately estimated according to the user's detailed design verification, without using an actual measurement model. Furthermore, the impedance characteristics of a power supply line to which multiple units are connected in parallel can also be accurately estimated.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a capacitor portion provided in a wiring board whose design is supported by a board design support device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2A is a plan view taken along lines A and A' in Fig. 1. Fig. 2B is a plan view taken along lines B and B' in Fig. 1. Fig. 2C is a plan view taken along lines C and C' in Fig. 1. Fig. 2D is a plan view taken along lines D and D' in Fig. 1. Fig. 2E is a plan view taken along line E in Fig. 1. Note that Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in Fig. 2A.

[0020] The capacitor section 101 shown in Fig. 1 includes a capacitor element 110 and a through conductor 120. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the capacitor section 101 further includes a sealing layer 130 and conductor wiring layers 140A and 140B.

[0021] The capacitor element 110 includes an anode plate 111 having a porous portion 111B on at least one main surface of a core portion 111A, a dielectric layer 113 provided on the surface of the porous portion 111B, and a cathode layer 112 provided on the surface of the dielectric layer 113. This makes up an electrolytic capacitor. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the anode plate 111 has the porous portion 111B on both main surfaces of the core portion 111A, but the porous portion 111B may be provided on only one main surface of the core portion 111A.

[0022] Cathode layer 112 includes, for example, a solid electrolyte layer provided on the surface of dielectric layer 113. Cathode layer 112 preferably further includes a conductor layer provided on the surface of the solid electrolyte layer. When cathode layer 112 includes a solid electrolyte layer, capacitor element 110 constitutes a solid electrolytic capacitor.

[0023] The through conductor 120 penetrates the dielectric layer 113 and the anode plate 111 in the thickness direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1).

[0024] The through conductors 120 include a cathode through conductor 120A electrically connected to the cathode layer 112 and an anode through conductor 120B electrically connected to the anode plate 111. The cathode through conductor 120A functions as a ground-side through conductor connected to a ground line, and the anode through conductor 120B functions as a power-supply-side through conductor connected to a power supply line.

[0025] 1 , a plurality of cathode through conductors 120A are provided so as to penetrate in the thickness direction through the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110. Each cathode through conductor 120A is connected at its end to a conductor wiring layer 140A provided on the surface of the sealing layer 130.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2C, the cathode through conductor 120A preferably exists within the cathode layer 112 in a plan view in the thickness direction of the anode plate 111.

[0027] The cathode through conductor 120A may be provided on at least the inner wall surface of a through hole that penetrates the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110 in the thickness direction. That is, the cathode through conductor 120A may be provided only on the inner wall surface of the through hole, or may be provided throughout the entire interior of the through hole. When the cathode through conductor 120A is provided only on the inner wall surface of the through hole, the space surrounded by the cathode through conductor 120A within the through hole may be filled with a material containing resin. That is, a resin filling portion 125A may be provided inside the cathode through conductor 120A.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, an insulating material such as the sealing layer 130 is filled between the through-hole that penetrates the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110 in the thickness direction and the cathode through conductor 120A.

[0029] 1 , a plurality of anode through conductors 120B are provided so as to penetrate in the thickness direction through the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110. Each anode through conductor 120B is connected at its end to a conductor wiring layer 140B provided on the surface of the sealing layer 130.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2C, the anode through conductor 120B preferably exists within the cathode layer 112 in a plan view in the thickness direction of the anode plate 111.

[0031] The anode through conductor 120B may be provided on at least the inner wall surface of a through hole that penetrates the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110 in the thickness direction. That is, the anode through conductor 120B may be provided only on the inner wall surface of the through hole, or may be provided throughout the entire interior of the through hole. When the anode through conductor 120B is provided only on the inner wall surface of the through hole, the space surrounded by the anode through conductor 120B within the through hole may be filled with a material containing resin. That is, a resin filling portion 125B may be provided inside the anode through conductor 120B.

[0032] 1 , the anode through conductor 120B is preferably electrically connected to the anode plate 111 at the inner wall surface of a through hole that penetrates the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110 in the thickness direction. More specifically, the anode through conductor 120B is preferably electrically connected to the end surface of the anode plate 111 that faces the inner wall surface of the through hole in the surface direction. In this case, no insulating material such as the sealing layer 130 is filled between the anode through conductor 120B and the through hole that penetrates the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110 in the thickness direction.

[0033] 1, the core portion 111A and the porous portion 111B are preferably exposed on the end surface of the anode plate 111 electrically connected to the anode penetrating conductor 120B. In this case, the porous portion 111B as well as the core portion 111A are electrically connected to the anode penetrating conductor 120B.

[0034] When viewed from the thickness direction of the anode plate 111, it is preferable that the anode penetrating conductor 120B is electrically connected to the anode plate 111 around the entire circumference of the through hole that penetrates the sealing layer 130 and the capacitor element 110 in the thickness direction, as shown in Figures 2D and 2E.

[0035] The anode through conductor 120B may be electrically connected via an anode connection layer, or may be directly connected to the end surface of the anode plate 111.

[0036] The sealing layer 130 is provided so as to cover the capacitor element 110. The capacitor element 110 is protected by the sealing layer 130.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, sealing layer 130 is preferably provided on both principal surfaces of capacitor element 110 that face each other in the thickness direction.

[0038] The conductor wiring layers 140A and 140B are provided on the surface of the sealing layer 130 and are electrically connected to either the cathode through conductor 120A or the anode through conductor 120B.

[0039] The conductor wiring layer 140A is electrically connected to the cathode through conductor 120A. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the conductor wiring layer 140A is provided on the surface of the cathode through conductor 120A and functions as a connection terminal of the capacitor section 101.

[0040] Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the conductor wiring layer 140A is electrically connected to the cathode layer 112 through a via conductor 145 that penetrates the sealing layer 130, and functions as a connection terminal for the cathode layer 112.

[0041] The conductor wiring layer 140B is electrically connected to the anode penetrating conductor 120B. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the conductor wiring layer 140B is provided on the surface of the anode penetrating conductor 120B and functions as a connection terminal of the capacitor section 101.

[0042] Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the conductor wiring layer 140B is electrically connected to the anode plate 111 via the anode through conductor 120B, and functions as a connection terminal for the anode plate 111.

[0043] A ground line (not shown) provided on an insulating layer (not shown) covering the conductor wiring layers 140A and 140B is electrically connected to the conductor wiring layer 140A through a via conductor (not shown) that penetrates this insulating layer, thereby electrically connecting the ground line to the cathode layer 112 of the capacitor element 110 through the cathode penetrating conductor 120A. On the other hand, a power supply line (not shown) provided on the insulating layer covering the conductor wiring layers 140A and 140B is electrically connected to the conductor wiring layer 140B through a via conductor (not shown) that penetrates this insulating layer, thereby electrically connecting the power supply line to the anode plate 111 of the capacitor element 110 through the anode penetrating conductor 120B.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a board design support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The board design support device 1 shown in FIG. 3 is a device that supports the design of a wiring board, and supports the placement on the wiring board of bypass capacitors that are connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor.

[0046] The board design support device 1 includes an input unit 10, a control unit 20, a storage unit 30, and a display unit 40.

[0047] The input unit 10 is configured with, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and the display unit 40 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display, etc. The board design support device 1 is configured so that a user (such as a wiring board designer) can design (draw) a wiring board by operating the input unit 10 while checking an image displayed on the display unit 40.

[0048] The control unit 20 is configured as a computer system including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) etc. The control unit 20 executes predetermined software programs stored in the storage unit 30 in the CPU, thereby realizing various processes.

[0049] The storage unit 30 is composed of storage devices such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a hard disk, and stores various programs and information (data) for controlling the board design support device 1. For example, a design support program, which is software for supporting the design of a wiring board, is stored as a program.

[0050] The storage unit 30 stores a data structure relating to circuit information, and the data structure has circuit information representing a unit including a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors. Hereinafter, when simply referring to a "predetermined pitch," it means the predetermined pitch between the pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors included in the unit.

[0051] More specifically, the circuit information includes an equivalent circuit representing a unit (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "unit equivalent circuit"), and the unit equivalent circuit includes an equivalent circuit representing a capacitor element included in the unit (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "capacitor equivalent circuit"), and the capacitor equivalent circuit includes a capacitance component set according to the corresponding predetermined pitch. In other words, the storage unit 30 stores a plurality of unit equivalent circuits that are set (prepared) in advance corresponding to a plurality of predetermined pitches. Furthermore, the capacitance of the capacitance component included in the capacitor equivalent circuit is set according to the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0052] Here, the predetermined pitch refers to a pitch between a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors included in a unit, which is preset and can be selected in the board design support device 1. The number of predetermined pitches is not particularly limited as long as it is 2 or more, and can be set appropriately.

[0053] The data structure relating to the circuit information may be pre-installed in the board design support apparatus 1, or may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium or provided to the user via a network. The data structure relating to the circuit information may also be incorporated into a general-purpose design support program together with an add-in, such as a process design kit.

[0054] The unit equivalent circuit preferably includes an inductance component representing the power supply side through conductor and an inductance component representing the ground side through conductor that are set regardless of the predetermined pitch. This improves the accuracy of calculating the impedance of the power supply line. In other words, the equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor and the equivalent circuit representing the ground side through conductor each preferably include at least an inductance component (the same inductance) that is common to all the predetermined pitches.

[0055] In this way, the unit equivalent circuit preferably includes an equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor and an equivalent circuit representing the ground side through conductor.

[0056] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0057] The unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in Figure 4A includes an equivalent circuit S representing a power supply side through conductor connected to a power supply line, an equivalent circuit G representing a ground side through conductor connected to a ground line, and a capacitor equivalent circuit C connected between the equivalent circuits S and G. The capacitor equivalent circuit C is connected to a node on the output port (Port 2) side of the equivalent circuits S and G. The input port (Port 1) is connected to a power supply and ground, and the output port (Port 2) is connected to a load such as a CPU. The unit equivalent circuit 50 represents a case where a capacitor element is formed on only one side of the anode plate, either the front or back.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit representing a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor.

[0059] 5, an equivalent circuit S representing the power supply side through conductor and an equivalent circuit G representing the ground side through conductor each include an inductance component L and a resistance component R connected in series. The inductance component L is connected to the input port (Port 1), and the resistance component R is connected to the output port (Port 2) (see FIG. 4A).

[0060] Here, the inductance component L and the resistance component R are set regardless of the predetermined pitch. In other words, the inductance and resistance (the same inductance and the same resistance) are set to be commonly used for all predetermined pitches. In the board design support device 1, design rules are set to design a circuit. The diameter, plating thickness, material, and thickness of the resin board to be connected (= through-hole length) of the through conductor are also set within these rules. Therefore, when it is specified which layers are to be connected by the through conductor, the inductance component L and resistance component R for that location can be theoretically determined. Note that the material of the through conductor is generally Cu, but is not particularly limited to this, and the resistance component R is assigned according to the set wiring type.

[0061] Preferably, the equivalent circuit representing the power supply-side Through Conductor includes a first circuit portion and a second circuit portion connected in series between the input port and the output port, the equivalent circuit representing the ground-side Through Conductor includes a third circuit portion and a fourth circuit portion connected in series between the input port and the output port, and the capacitor equivalent circuit is connected to a node between the first circuit portion and the second circuit portion and a node between the third circuit portion and the fourth circuit portion. This makes it possible to set each component of each circuit portion on the output port side in consideration of the reflection characteristics on the output port side, thereby further improving the accuracy of board design support.

[0062] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing another example of an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0063] The unit equivalent circuit 50 may be the one illustrated in FIG. 4B in addition to the one illustrated in FIG. 4A . In this case, the equivalent circuit S representing the power-side through conductor includes a first circuit section S′ and a second circuit section S″ connected in series between the input port (Port1) and the output port (Port2). The equivalent circuit G representing the ground-side through conductor includes a third circuit section G′ and a fourth circuit section G″ connected in series between the input port (Port1) and the output port (Port2). The capacitor equivalent circuit C is connected to a node 51 between the first circuit section S′ and the second circuit section S″ and a node 52 between the third circuit section G′ and the fourth circuit section G″. Here, the components of the second circuit section S″ and the fourth circuit section G″ on the output port (Port2) side are set in consideration of the reflection characteristics on the output port (Port2) side. Therefore, the first circuit section S' and the second circuit section S'' may have at least some components that differ from each other, and similarly, the third circuit section G' and the fourth circuit section G'' may have at least some components that differ from each other.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 5, the first circuit section S', the second circuit section S'', the third circuit section G', and the fourth circuit section G'' each include an inductance component L and a resistance component R connected in series. In each of the circuit sections, the inductance component L is located on the input port (Port 1) side, and the resistance component R is located on the output port (Port 2) side. In the unit equivalent circuit 50 illustrated in FIG. 4B, these inductance components L and resistance components R are also set without regard to a predetermined pitch.

[0065] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure relating to circuit information stored in the storage unit, and shows a case where the circuit information includes an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 6 , the storage unit 30 stores a unit equivalent circuit for each predetermined pitch P1, P2, P3, ... between a pair of power-side and ground-side through conductors. The equivalent circuit S representing the power-side through conductor and the equivalent circuit G representing the ground-side through conductor are common to each predetermined pitch. In this specification, two equivalent circuits being common or equivalent means that the types, numbers, connections, and values ​​(capacitance, inductance, resistance, etc.) of the components are all the same. Meanwhile, the capacitor equivalent circuit C includes capacitance components that are set independently for each predetermined pitch. While the capacitance components set corresponding to different predetermined pitches typically have different capacitances, they may also include capacitance components having the same capacitance.

[0067] The storage unit 30 also stores circuit information representing the units according to the number of connections, which is the number of units connected in parallel. That is, the storage unit 30 stores a unit equivalent circuit as circuit information for each number of units connected in parallel to the same power supply line.

[0068] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the data structure of the circuit information stored in the storage unit.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 7, the storage unit 30 stores a unit equivalent circuit for each number of connected units. However, the equivalent circuit S representing the power-side through conductor and the equivalent circuit G representing the ground-side through conductor are common to each number of connected units. On the other hand, the capacitor equivalent circuit C includes capacitance components that are set independently for each number of connected units. Note that the multiple capacitance components set corresponding to different numbers of connected units usually have different capacitances, but may also include multiple capacitance components having the same capacitance.

[0070] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit representing units connected in parallel.

[0071] The equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 8 represents multiple units (three in this example) connected in parallel to the same power supply line. The unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in Fig. 4A is connected in parallel between the input port (Port 1) and the output port (Port 2). In this case, the capacitor equivalent circuit C of each unit equivalent circuit 50 includes a common capacitance component at a predetermined pitch and corresponding to the number of connections (=3).

[0072] Although FIG. 8 shows a case where all of the unit equivalent circuits 50 connected in parallel are the ones exemplified in FIG. 4A, at least one of these unit equivalent circuits 50 may be the one exemplified in FIG. 4B.

[0073] The capacitor equivalent circuit preferably includes a ladder circuit, which makes it possible to more accurately reproduce a capacitor element that is built into a substrate and has a plurality of through conductors connected as output terminals.

[0074] From the viewpoint of calculation accuracy, it is preferable that the ladder circuit includes two or more capacitance components set according to the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0075] In this way, the ladder circuit includes a plurality of capacitance components connected in parallel with each other, and the capacitances of these capacitance components are set according to the corresponding predetermined pitches.

[0076] The upper limit of the capacitance components included in the ladder circuit is not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate, but is preferably 5 or less, and more preferably 4 or less. This is because the effect of improving calculation accuracy by using a ladder circuit tends to saturate as the number of capacitance components increases.

[0077] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit representing a capacitor element.

[0078] The capacitor equivalent circuit 60 shown in Figure 9 includes a first terminal 61 connected to the power supply side through conductor, a second terminal 62 connected to the ground side through conductor, a first capacitance section 63, a second capacitance section 64, and an LR circuit 65 connected between the first terminal 61 and the first capacitance section 63.

[0079] The first capacitance section 63 and the second capacitance section 64 are equivalent to each other, i.e., they are composed of the same RLC components, and are connected in parallel between the first terminal 61 and the second terminal 62.

[0080] The first capacitance section 63 and the second capacitance section 64 each include three capacitance components C1, C2, and C3, four resistance components R1, R2, R3, and Rsh1, and an inductance component L1. The three capacitance components C1, C2, and C3 and the three resistance components R1, R2, and R3 are connected in a ladder configuration. The resistance component Rsh1 is connected between the capacitance component C1 and the resistance component R1 in the first stage. The inductance component L1 is connected to the resistance component R1 in the first stage.

[0081] The LR circuit 65 is an LR series circuit composed of a resistance component RS1 and an inductance component LS1 connected in series. Thus, the capacitor equivalent circuit 60 includes an equivalent circuit portion (an equivalent circuit composed of the first capacitance portion 63 and the LR circuit 65) that passes through the LR circuit 65 and then reaches the capacitance components C1, C2, and C3.

[0082] Here, these capacitance components C1, C2, and C3 are set at a predetermined pitch. Similarly, other resistance components R1, R2, R3, and Rsh1 and inductance component L1 are also set at a predetermined pitch. That is, each component (capacitance, resistance, or inductance) is set at a different pitch.

[0083] Each capacitance component, each inductance component, and each resistance component included in the capacitor equivalent circuit 60 is determined based on actual measurement data. As described above, when the number of connected units increases, the characteristics of a state in which the RL component of the wiring portion is superimposed are observed. Therefore, the scaling effect is confirmed with a number of connections that makes this effect negligible, and each multiplier that best matches the actual measurement value and structural characteristics is set as the corresponding component, and the capacitor equivalent circuit 60 is defined.

[0084] The circuit information stored in the memory unit 30 may include parameters (hereinafter sometimes referred to as alternative parameters) corresponding to at least a part of the unit equivalent circuit instead of the unit equivalent circuit, or may include both the unit equivalent circuit and the alternative parameters.

[0085] Specific examples of the substitute parameters include the frequency characteristics of the impedance of the corresponding unit equivalent circuit or capacitor equivalent circuit, S parameters, etc. The substitute parameters may be calculated from the corresponding unit equivalent circuit or capacitor equivalent circuit, or may be directly set based on actual measurements.

[0086] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0087] The alternative parameters shown in Fig. 10A correspond to the unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in Fig. 4A, and are obtained by replacing the equivalent circuit S representing the power supply side through conductor, the equivalent circuit G representing the ground side through conductor, and the capacitor equivalent circuit C shown in Fig. 4A with the alternative parameters Z1, Z2, and Z3 corresponding thereto, respectively. Therefore, the connection relationships of the alternative parameters are the same as those shown in Fig. 4A.

[0088] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0089] The alternative parameter shown in Fig. 11 also corresponds to the unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in Fig. 4A, but the equivalent circuit S representing the power supply side through conductor, the equivalent circuit G representing the ground side through conductor, and the capacitor equivalent circuit C shown in Fig. 4A are replaced with an alternative parameter Zunit corresponding to the equivalent circuit as a whole. Therefore, the alternative parameter Zunit is a parameter that takes into account the equivalent circuit S representing the power supply side through conductor and the equivalent circuit G representing the ground side through conductor.

[0090] FIG. 10B is a diagram showing another example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0091] The alternative parameters shown in FIG. 10B correspond to the unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in FIG. 4B , and are obtained by replacing the first circuit section S′ and the second circuit section S″ of the equivalent circuit S representing the power-side Through Conductor shown in FIG. 4B with the alternative parameters Z1′ and Z1″ corresponding thereto, respectively, replacing the third circuit section G′ and the fourth circuit section G″ of the equivalent circuit G representing the ground-side Through Conductor with the alternative parameters Z2′ and Z2″ corresponding thereto, respectively, and replacing the capacitor equivalent circuit C with the alternative parameter Z3 corresponding thereto. Therefore, the connection relationship of each alternative parameter is the same as that shown in FIG. 4B . Here, the alternative parameters Z1″ and Z2″ on the output port (Port 2) side are set in consideration of the reflection characteristics of the output port (Port 2) side. This can further improve the accuracy of board design support.

[0092] The alternative parameter Zunit shown in Fig. 11 may correspond to the unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in Fig. 4B. In other words, the alternative parameter Zunit shown in Fig. 11 may be equivalent to the alternative parameter shown in Fig. 10B.

[0093] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the data structure of the circuit information stored in the storage unit, and shows a case where parameters are included as the circuit information.

[0094] 12 , the storage unit 30 may store, for each predetermined pitch, an alternative parameter Z1 corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing the power-side through conductor, an alternative parameter Z2 corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing the ground-side through conductor, and an alternative parameter Z3 corresponding to a capacitor equivalent circuit. However, the alternative parameter Z1 corresponding to the equivalent circuit representing the power-side through conductor is common to each predetermined pitch, and the alternative parameter Z2 corresponding to the equivalent circuit representing the ground-side through conductor is also common to each predetermined pitch. On the other hand, the alternative parameter Z3 corresponding to the capacitor equivalent circuit reflects the capacitance component of a capacitor equivalent circuit that is set independently for each predetermined pitch. In this specification, two alternative parameters being common means that these alternative parameters correspond to two equivalent circuits.

[0095] In addition, the alternative parameters Z1' and Z1'' corresponding to the first circuit portion S' and the second circuit portion S'', respectively, of the equivalent circuit S representing the power supply side through conductor are also common to each predetermined pitch, and the alternative parameters Z2' and Z2'' corresponding to the third circuit portion G' and the fourth circuit portion G'' respectively, of the equivalent circuit G representing the ground side through conductor are also common to each predetermined pitch.

[0096] Also, instead of at least one of the alternative parameters Z1 shown in FIG. 12, the alternative parameters Z1' and Z1" shown in FIG. 10B may be stored. Similarly, instead of at least one of the alternative parameters Z2 shown in FIG. 12, the alternative parameters Z2' and Z2" shown in FIG. 10B may be stored.

[0097] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing yet another example of the data structure of the circuit information stored in the storage unit, in which parameters are included as the circuit information.

[0098] 13, the storage unit 30 may store, for each predetermined pitch, an equivalent circuit representing a power-side through conductor, an equivalent circuit representing a ground-side through conductor, and an alternative parameter Zunit corresponding to the entire capacitor equivalent circuit. Therefore, the alternative parameter Zunit reflects the capacitance component of the capacitor equivalent circuit that is set separately and independently for each predetermined pitch.

[0099] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing yet another example of the data structure of the circuit information stored in the storage unit, in which the circuit information includes an equivalent circuit and parameters.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 14 , the storage unit 30 may store, at a predetermined pitch, a part of the unit equivalent circuit (e.g., the capacitor equivalent circuit C) and alternative parameters (e.g., alternative parameters Z1 and Z2) corresponding to the remaining part of the unit equivalent circuit (e.g., the equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor and the equivalent circuit representing the ground side through conductor).

[0101] Also, instead of at least one of the alternative parameters Z1 shown in FIG. 14, the alternative parameters Z1′ and Z1″ shown in FIG. 10B may be stored. Similarly, instead of at least one of the alternative parameters Z2 shown in FIG. 14, the alternative parameters Z2′ and Z2″ shown in FIG. 10B may be stored.

[0102] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing yet another example of the data structure of the circuit information stored in the storage unit, in which the circuit information includes an equivalent circuit and parameters.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 15, the storage unit 30 may store unit equivalent circuits corresponding to one or more predetermined pitches and alternative parameters Zunit (corresponding to the entire unit equivalent circuit) corresponding to one or more other predetermined pitches.

[0104] Furthermore, the storage unit 30 may store an appropriate combination of the circuit information shown in FIGS. 6 and 12 to 15.

[0105] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing units connected in parallel.

[0106] The alternative parameters shown in Fig. 16 correspond to the equivalent circuit showing the units connected in parallel shown in Fig. 8, and are obtained by replacing the equivalent circuit S showing the power supply side through conductor, the equivalent circuit G showing the ground side through conductor, and the capacitor equivalent circuit C shown in Fig. 8 with the alternative parameters Z1, Z2, and Z3 corresponding thereto, respectively. Therefore, the connection relationships of the alternative parameters are the same as those shown in Fig. 8.

[0107] Note that while Figure 16 shows a case where all of the alternative parameters connected in parallel are those illustrated in Figure 10A, at least one of these alternative parameters may be the one illustrated in Figure 10B.

[0108] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of parameters corresponding to an equivalent circuit representing units connected in parallel.

[0109] The alternative parameters shown in FIG. 17 also correspond to the equivalent circuit representing the units connected in parallel shown in FIG. 8, but are replaced with alternative parameter Ztot corresponding to the equivalent circuit of the entire three unit equivalent circuits 50 shown in FIG. 8.

[0110] The alternative parameter Ztot shown in FIG. 17 may correspond to an equivalent circuit in which at least one of the unit equivalent circuits 50 shown in FIG. 8 is the equivalent circuit exemplified in FIG. 4B.

[0111] The unit equivalent circuit preferably includes a first equivalent circuit representing the first capacitor element and a second equivalent circuit representing the second capacitor element, the first equivalent circuit and the second equivalent circuit being equivalent to each other, the first equivalent circuit being connected to a node of the power supply-side through conductor on one main surface (first main surface) of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on one main surface (first main surface) of the wiring board, and the second equivalent circuit being connected to a node of the power supply-side through conductor on the other main surface (second main surface) of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on the other main surface (second main surface) of the wiring board. This allows for accurate reproduction of a case in which the unit includes, as capacitor elements, a first capacitor element and a second capacitor element connected in parallel between a pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors. The first and second capacitor elements are independently arranged on the front and back of an anode plate.

[0112] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another example of an equivalent circuit representing a unit.

[0113] The unit equivalent circuit 80 shown in FIG. 18 includes an equivalent circuit S representing a power-supply-side through conductor connected to a power supply line, an equivalent circuit G representing a ground-side through conductor connected to a ground line, and two capacitor equivalent circuits C connected between the equivalent circuits S and G. One of the capacitor equivalent circuits C is a first equivalent circuit 81 representing a first capacitor element, which is connected to a node 83 on the output port (Port 2) side of the equivalent circuit S and a node 84 on the output port (Port 2) side of the equivalent circuit G. The other capacitor equivalent circuit C is a second equivalent circuit 82 representing a second capacitor element, which is connected to a node 85 on the input port (Port 1) side of the equivalent circuit S and a node 86 on the input port (Port 1) side of the equivalent circuit G. The unit equivalent circuit 80 is obtained by adding a capacitor equivalent circuit C to the input port (Port 1) side of the equivalent circuits S and G in addition to the unit equivalent circuit 50 shown in FIG. 4A. The unit equivalent circuit 80 represents a case where first and second capacitor elements are formed on both the front and back sides of the anode plate.

[0114] The first equivalent circuit 81 and the second equivalent circuit 82 are the same as the capacitor equivalent circuit 60 shown in Fig. 9 and are equivalent to each other. That is, they are composed of the same RLC components. The first terminal 61 shown in Fig. 9 is connected to a node 83 or 85, and the second terminal 62 shown in Fig. 9 is connected to a node 84 or 86.

[0115] Furthermore, the first equivalent circuit 81 is connected to a node of the power supply-side through conductor on one main surface of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on one main surface of the wiring board, and the second equivalent circuit 82 is connected to a node of the power supply-side through conductor on the other main surface of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on the other main surface of the wiring board. That is, nodes 83 and 84 correspond to the node of the power supply-side through conductor on one main surface of the wiring board and the node of the ground through conductor on one main surface of the wiring board, and nodes 85 and 86 correspond to the node of the power supply-side through conductor on the other main surface of the wiring board and the node of the ground through conductor on the other main surface of the wiring board.

[0116] As described with reference to FIG. 18 , the unit equivalent circuit may include 2×n capacitor equivalent circuits (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2). This allows the unit to reproduce a case in which 2×n capacitor elements are connected in parallel between a pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors. Such a unit can be realized by stacking a plurality of substrates each incorporating a capacitor element and then collectively forming through conductors that penetrate the substrates. The 2×n capacitor equivalent circuits are connected in parallel with each other, with n capacitor equivalent circuits connected to the input port (Port 1) side of the equivalent circuit representing the power supply-side through conductor and the input port (Port 1) side of the equivalent circuit representing the ground through conductor, and the remaining n capacitor equivalent circuits connected to the output port (Port 2) side of the equivalent circuit representing the power supply-side through conductor and the output port (Port 2) side of the equivalent circuit representing the ground through conductor.

[0117] 18 illustrates an example in which the number of connected units is one, but the number of connected units may be two or more. In that case, at least one unit may include the first equivalent circuit 81 and the second equivalent circuit 82 shown in FIG. 18, but it is preferable that all units include the first equivalent circuit 81 and the second equivalent circuit 82 shown in FIG. 18. In either case, at least a portion of the equivalent circuit G, the equivalent circuit G, the first equivalent circuit 81, and the second equivalent circuit 82 shown in FIG. 18 may be replaced with corresponding alternative parameters.

[0118] Next, the function of the control unit 20 will be described in detail.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 20 includes an input receiving unit 21, a calculation unit 22, and an output unit 23.

[0120] The input receiving unit 21 performs processing to acquire a pitch between at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors set by the user, the pitch corresponding to (matching) any of a plurality of predetermined pitches. In other words, in the board design support device 1, the user cannot arrange (design) the power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors on the wiring board at any pitch, but can only arrange (design) the power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors on the wiring board at a pitch that matches any of the predetermined pitches set in advance.

[0121] The input receiving unit 21 can acquire the pitch between each pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors set by the user, for example, from their coordinate information.

[0122] The input receiving unit 21 also performs a process of acquiring the number of connections (the number of units connected in parallel) set by the user.

[0123] The number of connections can be obtained from, for example, the number of pairs of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors connected in parallel to the same power line.

[0124] Furthermore, each pair of power-side and ground-side through conductors set by the user is preferably located on an intersection of a predetermined grid, thereby enabling the placement of capacitor elements with reduced equivalent series resistance (ESR) and equivalent series inductance (ESL).

[0125] More specifically, for example, when a user places the first power supply side through conductor or ground side through conductor via the input unit 10, a predetermined grid in which the through conductor is located on an intersection is displayed on the display unit 40. Here, the type and pitch of the grid are configured to be set (designated) by the user, and the grid pitch matches one of a plurality of predetermined pitches between a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors. The second and subsequent power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors are set so that they can only be located on other intersections of the grid. In this case, a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors are preferably located on adjacent intersections of the grid, but may also be located on non-adjacent intersections of the grid.

[0126] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a grid and power-side through conductors and ground-side through conductors arranged on the intersections of the grid.

[0127] 19 shows a square grid, with the power supply side through conductors 71 and the ground side through conductors 72 arranged in a square. In the square arrangement, the power supply side through conductors 71 and the ground side through conductors 72 are arranged at each vertex of the square. As shown in FIG. 19 , the power supply side through conductors 71 and the ground side through conductors 72 may be arranged alternately in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0128] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a grid and power-side through conductors and ground-side through conductors arranged at its intersections.

[0129] In the example shown in Fig. 20 , a diamond-shaped grid (with interior angles of 60° or 120°) is displayed, with the power supply side through conductors 71 and the ground side through conductors 72 arranged in a hexagonal pattern. In the hexagonal pattern, the power supply side through conductors 71 and the ground side through conductors 72 are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon and at the center of the regular hexagon. As shown in Fig. 20 , the power supply side through conductors 71 and the ground side through conductors 72 may be arranged alternately in the up-down direction.

[0130] 19 and 20, the rectangular broken line surrounding the pair of power supply side through conductor 71 and ground side through conductor 72 is an imaginary line indicating the area of ​​the unit.

[0131] The input receiving unit 21 further acquires board information, which is information set by the user about the components of the board excluding units. That is, it acquires information designed (e.g., drawn) by the user about the components other than the units. The board information includes, for example, information about wiring, resin boards, and through conductors (vias and through holes) not included in units. Information about wiring includes, for example, the layout (coordinates) of wiring, the conductor thickness of the wiring layer, etc. Information about resin boards includes, for example, the thickness of the resin board portion when multi-layered. Information about through conductors not included in units includes, for example, the coordinates and dimensions of the through conductors.

[0132] Furthermore, this board information is input in accordance with predetermined design rules. That is, the board information set by the user is limited to information that satisfies the design rules. Note that instead of only accepting board information that conforms to the design rules, the input board information may be verified to see if it satisfies the design rules, and if there is an item that does not satisfy the design rules, an error may be notified on the display unit 40, prompting the user to change the item.

[0133] The design rules include various information necessary to form a wiring board, such as the conductor thickness of the wiring layer, the L / S rule of the wiring, the conductor amount of the through conductor, and the thickness of the resin substrate portion when multi-layering.

[0134] The calculation unit 22 acquires from the storage unit 30 circuit information corresponding to the pitch between each pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors and the number of connected units, which has been acquired by the input receiving unit 21, and performs processing to calculate the impedance of the power supply line based on the acquired circuit information (unit equivalent circuit and / or parameters). The circuit information corresponding to this pitch can accurately reproduce a unit in which a pair of power supply-side and ground-side through conductors is arranged at that pitch, and therefore the impedance characteristics of the power supply line can be calculated with high accuracy. Furthermore, since this circuit information is prepared for each number of connected units, the calculation accuracy of the impedance characteristics of the power supply line can be further improved.

[0135] More specifically, the calculation unit 22 performs a process of calculating the impedance of the power supply line based on the circuit information corresponding to the pitch and number of connections acquired by the input receiving unit 21, as well as the board information acquired by the input receiving unit 21.

[0136] At this time, the calculation unit 22 performs a process of calculating the impedance characteristics of the unit based on the acquired circuit information (unit equivalent circuit and / or parameters), and a process of calculating the impedance characteristics of the board (excluding the unit) based on the acquired board information.Then, the calculation unit 22 combines the impedance characteristics of both and calculates the impedance characteristics of the entire board, in this case, the power supply lines, in the combined state.SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) can be used for these calculation processes.

[0137] The output unit 23 performs processing to display the impedance of the power supply line, which is the result of the calculation by the calculation unit 22, on the display unit 40.

[0138] Next, the operation of the board design support device 1 (board design support method using the board design support device 1) will be described.

[0139] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the board design support apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 21, first, the input receiving unit 21 performs a process of acquiring, via the input unit 10, the pitch between at least one pair of power-side through conductors and ground-side through conductors, which corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined pitches, the number of connections in which units are connected in parallel, and board information (step S11).

[0141] Next, the calculation unit 22 performs a process of acquiring circuit information (unit equivalent circuits and / or parameters) corresponding to the pitch and number of connections acquired in step S11 from the storage unit 30 (step S12).

[0142] Next, the calculation unit 22 performs a process of calculating the impedance characteristics of the unit based on the circuit information acquired in step S12 (step S13).

[0143] Next, the calculation unit 22 performs a process of calculating the impedance characteristics of the board (excluding the unit) based on the board information acquired in step S11 (step S14).

[0144] The order of steps S12, S13, and S14 is not particularly limited to this order, and for example, steps S14, S12, and S13 may be performed in that order, or steps S12 and S13 and step S14 may be performed in parallel.

[0145] Next, the calculation unit 22 combines the impedance characteristics of the unit calculated in step S13 with the impedance characteristics of the board (excluding the unit) calculated in step S14, and performs a process of calculating the impedance characteristics of the power supply line in the combined state (step S15).

[0146] Then, the output unit 23 performs processing to display the impedance of the power supply line, which is the result of the calculation by the calculation unit 22, on the display unit 40, and the operation of the board design support device 1 ends.

[0147] Based on the impedance of the power supply line displayed on the display unit 40, the user can, for example, increase or decrease the number of bypass capacitors, i.e., the number of pairs of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, or the pitch between a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors.

[0148] As described above, the board design support device according to the above embodiment can be suitably used for designing a power supply line to which a bypass capacitor is connected via a plurality of through conductors.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the case where circuit information is used according to the predetermined pitch between the power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors and the number of connected units has been described, but the circuit information only needs to be set for at least each predetermined pitch. For example, in addition to the pitch, or instead of the number of connected units, the circuit information may be set according to the capacitance of the capacitor elements included in the units, the number of layers of the wiring board, or the like.

[0150] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the board design support device is configured as a single device. However, the functions of the board design support device may be implemented as a distributed processing system distributed across multiple devices. For example, a terminal device used by a user may only input information and display the calculation results, while a server device (e.g., a cloud) may perform the calculation of impedance based on circuit information corresponding to the input information. In this case, the circuit information may be stored in a memory unit of the server device. Furthermore, for example, the calculation of the impedance of a unit based on circuit information and the calculation of the impedance of a board (excluding the unit) based on board information may be performed by different devices (terminal device and server device).

[0151] The present specification discloses the following:

[0152] <1> A board design support device that supports the arrangement of bypass capacitors, which are connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, on a wiring board, the board design support device comprising: a storage unit that stores circuit information representing a unit, each of which includes a pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductor; an input receiving unit that acquires a pitch between at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductors, which is set by a user, and which corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined pitches; and a calculation unit that acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit, and calculates an impedance of a power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, wherein the circuit information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and parameters corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit, and wherein the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes a capacitance component set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0153] <2> The board design support device according to <1>, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes an inductance component representing the power supply side through conductor and an inductance component representing the ground side through conductor, which are set regardless of the predetermined pitch.

[0154] <3> The board design support device according to <1> or <2>, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes an equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor and an equivalent circuit representing the ground side through conductor, the equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor includes a first circuit portion and a second circuit portion connected in series between an input port and an output port, the equivalent circuit representing the ground side through conductor includes a third circuit portion and a fourth circuit portion connected in series between the input port and the output port, and the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element is connected to a node between the first circuit portion and the second circuit portion and a node between the third circuit portion and the fourth circuit portion.

[0155] <4> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element includes a ladder circuit.

[0156] <5> The board design support device according to <4>, wherein the ladder circuit includes two or more of the capacitance components.

[0157] <6> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the unit includes, as the capacitor elements, a first capacitor element and a second capacitor element connected in parallel between the pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, and an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes, as equivalent circuits representing the capacitor elements, a first equivalent circuit representing the first capacitor element and a second equivalent circuit representing the second capacitor element, and the first equivalent circuit and the second equivalent circuit are equivalent to each other, and the first equivalent circuit is connected to a node of the power supply side through conductor on one main surface side of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on the one main surface side of the wiring board, and the second equivalent circuit is connected to a node of the power supply side through conductor on the other main surface side of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on the other main surface side of the wiring board.

[0158] <7> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element includes an equivalent circuit portion that passes through an LR circuit and then reaches the capacitance component.

[0159] <8> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein the unit includes, as the capacitor elements, 2×n capacitor elements (where n is an integer of 2 or more) connected in parallel between the pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, and an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes 2×n equivalent circuits representing the capacitor elements.

[0160] <9> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <8>, wherein each pair of power supply-side through conductors and ground-side through conductors set by a user is located on an intersection of a predetermined grid.

[0161] <10> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <9>, wherein the input receiving unit further acquires board information, which is information about components of the board excluding the unit, set by a user, and the calculation unit calculates the impedance of the power supply line based on the circuit information and the board information acquired by the input receiving unit.

[0162] <11> The board design support device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein the storage unit stores circuit information representing the units according to a connection number, which is the number of times the units are connected in parallel; the input receiving unit further acquires the connection number set by a user; and the calculation unit acquires, from the storage unit, circuit information corresponding to the pitch and the connection number acquired by the input receiving unit, and calculates the impedance of the power supply line based on the acquired circuit information.

[0163] <12> A board design support system that supports the arrangement of bypass capacitors, which are connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, on a wiring board, the board comprising: a storage unit that stores circuit information representing a unit, each of which includes a pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor; an input receiving unit that acquires a pitch between at least one pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, which is set by a user, and which corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined pitches; and a calculation unit that acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit, and calculates an impedance of a power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, wherein the circuit information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and parameters corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit, and wherein the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes a capacitance component set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0164] <13> A data structure relating to circuit information used in a board design support device or system, comprising an input receiving unit, a storage unit, and a calculation unit, for supporting the arrangement on a wiring board of bypass capacitors connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, wherein the data structure includes, for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of power supply side through conductors and the ground side through conductor, circuit information representing a unit including a pair of power supply side through conductors and a ground side through conductor and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, stored in the storage unit, and wherein the circuit information represents a unit including a pair of power supply side through conductors and a ground side through conductor and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, and the input receiving unit acquires, based on a pitch between at least one pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors set by a user, the pitch corresponding to one of the plurality of predetermined pitches, the calculation unit acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit, and the circuit information is used in a process of calculating an impedance of a power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, the circuit information including at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and a parameter corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit, A data structure relating to circuit information, in which an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes capacitance components set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch, and an equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element includes capacitance components set in accordance with the corresponding predetermined pitch.

[0165] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Board design support device 10 Input unit 20 Control unit 21 Input acceptance unit 22 Calculation unit 23 Output unit 30 Memory unit 40 Display unit 50, 80 Unit equivalent circuit 51, 52, 83, 84, 85, 86 Node 60 Capacitor equivalent circuit 61 First terminal 62 Second terminal 63 First capacitance unit 64 Second capacitance unit 65 LR circuit 71 Power supply side through conductor 72 Ground side through conductor 81 First equivalent circuit 82 Second equivalent circuit 101 Capacitor unit 110 Capacitor element 111 Anode plate 111A Core 111B Porous portion 112 Cathode layer 113 Dielectric layer 120 Through conductor 120A Cathode through conductor 120B Anode through conductor 125A, 125B Resin filled portion 130 Sealing layer 140A, 140B Conductor wiring layer 145 Via conductor

Claims

1. A board design support device that supports the placement of a bypass capacitor on a wiring board, the bypass capacitor being connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, the device comprising: a storage unit that stores circuit information representing a unit including a pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor; an input receiving unit that receives a pitch between at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, the pitch being set by a user and corresponding to any one of the plurality of predetermined pitches; a calculation unit that acquires circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input reception unit from the storage unit, and calculates an impedance of a power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, the circuit information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and a parameter corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit; The circuit board design support device, wherein an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes a capacitance component set according to the corresponding predetermined pitch, the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element.

2. 2. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes an inductance component representing the power supply side through conductor and an inductance component representing the ground side through conductor, the inductance component being set regardless of the predetermined pitch.

3. an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes an equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor and an equivalent circuit representing the ground side through conductor, an equivalent circuit representing the power supply side through conductor includes a first circuit portion and a second circuit portion connected in series between an input port and an output port, an equivalent circuit representing the ground-side through conductor includes a third circuit portion and a fourth circuit portion connected in series between the input port and the output port, 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein an equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element is connected to a node between the first circuit portion and the second circuit portion and to a node between the third circuit portion and the fourth circuit portion.

4. 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element includes a ladder circuit.

5. The board design support device according to claim 4 , wherein the ladder circuit includes two or more of the capacitive components.

6. the unit includes, as the capacitor elements, a first capacitor element and a second capacitor element connected in parallel between the pair of power supply side through conductors and the pair of ground side through conductors; an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes, as an equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element, a first equivalent circuit representing the first capacitor element and a second equivalent circuit representing the second capacitor element; the first equivalent circuit and the second equivalent circuit are equivalent to each other, the first equivalent circuit is connected to a node of the power supply side through conductor on one main surface side of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on the one main surface side of the wiring board, 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein the second equivalent circuit is connected to a node of the power supply side through conductor on the other main surface side of the wiring board and a node of the ground through conductor on the other main surface side of the wiring board.

7. 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element includes an equivalent circuit portion that reaches the capacitive component after passing through an LR circuit.

8. the unit includes, as the capacitor element, 2×n capacitor elements (where n is an integer of 2 or more) connected in parallel between the pair of power supply side through conductors and ground side through conductors, 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein the equivalent circuit representing the unit includes 2.times.n equivalent circuits representing the capacitor elements.

9. 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein each pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor set by the user is located on an intersection of a predetermined grid.

10. the input receiving unit further acquires board information, which is information about components of the board excluding the unit, set by a user; 3 . The board design assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit calculates the impedance of the power supply line based on the circuit information and the board information acquired by the input reception unit.

11. the storage unit stores circuit information representing the units in accordance with a connection number, which is the number of units connected in parallel; The input reception unit further acquires a number of connections set by a user, 3. The board design support device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit acquires from the storage unit circuit information corresponding to the pitch and the number of connections acquired by the input receiving unit, and calculates an impedance of the power supply line based on the acquired circuit information.

12. A board design support system that supports the placement of bypass capacitors on a wiring board, the bypass capacitors being connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, the system comprising: a storage unit that stores circuit information representing a unit including a pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor; an input receiving unit that receives a pitch between at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, the pitch being set by a user and corresponding to any one of the plurality of predetermined pitches; a calculation unit that acquires circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input reception unit from the storage unit, and calculates an impedance of a power supply line based on the acquired circuit information, the circuit information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and a parameter corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit; A circuit board design support system, wherein an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes a capacitance component set according to the corresponding predetermined pitch, the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element.

13. A data structure relating to circuit information used in a board design support device or a board design support system, the device or system comprising an input receiving unit, a storage unit, and a calculation unit, and providing support for arranging, on a wiring board, a bypass capacitor connected to a power supply line and a ground line via at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, the data structure comprising: stored in the storage unit, The circuit information representing a unit including a pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor, and a capacitor element connected between the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor is included for each of a plurality of predetermined pitches between the pair of the power supply side through conductor and the ground side through conductor, the input receiving unit acquires, based on a pitch between at least one pair of a power supply side through conductor and a ground side through conductor set by a user, the pitch corresponding to any one of the plurality of predetermined pitches, circuit information corresponding to the pitch acquired by the input receiving unit from the storage unit, and the circuit information is used in a process of calculating an impedance of a power supply line based on the acquired circuit information; the circuit information includes at least one of an equivalent circuit representing the unit and a parameter corresponding to at least a part of the equivalent circuit representing the unit; A data structure relating to circuit information, in which an equivalent circuit representing the unit includes a capacitance component set according to the corresponding predetermined pitch, the equivalent circuit representing the capacitor element.