PDN Analyzer
Visual Power Integrity Analysis at Design Time
Powered by CST®, PDN Analyzer allows you to easily identify and resolve multi-network DC voltage and current density issues - directly in Altium Designer.
Uncontrolled voltage drop
IC supply voltage limits must be met across the entire length of the power delivery network. Accurately validating your power budget means considering minimum and maximum device limits, worst-case voltage drops, and combined return-path currents. PDN Analyzer shows you exactly where these problems arise.
Excessive copper
Blindly flooding "free" areas doesn't necessarily constitute a better product. Excessive copper can lead to manufacturing problems, sub-optimal signal routing, and higher cost. PDN Analyzer allows you to verify that your requirements are met, while also following best practices on copper/layer budgeting.
Copper islands / peninsulas
Floating areas of copper and areas with only a single connection can be easy to miss in early design stages, yet they can wreak havoc on your design's performance in unpredictable ways. PDN Analyzer helps you spot these areas quickly and easily while giving you valuable insight into all critical areas of your power delivery network.
Marginal voltage at critical power pins
Using “rules of thumb” regarding width of a power net is risky and error-prone. PDN Analyzer proves you have correctly designed your power nets, and backs up your analyses with interactive HTML reports containing all voltage margins, violations, and important image captures. The report can then be saved as a PDF and shared.
Insufficient copper
Excessive current densities lead to catastrophic failure in components, tracks and vias. PDN Analyzer lets you simulate current flow through any nets you deem to be in the critical path - simultaneously or sequentially. Peak current densities and vias of excessive current are immediately identified and highlighted, ensuring your product’s safely and reliably.
Altium’s PDN Analyzer tool integrates directly with Altium Designer so you can easily troubleshoot and detect issues like insufficient or excessive copper, uncontrolled voltage drops, marginal voltage at critical power pins, copper islands or peninsulas and similar issues that may be present with the power system in your PCB design.
PDN refers to the power system on printed circuit boards for active circuits. This system includes all interconnections from the voltage regulator module and the metallization of pads and die on integrated circuits that are used to supply and return power current.