Minutes, IBIS Quality Task Group

30 March 2021

12:00-13:00 EST (09:00-10:00 PST)

ROLL CALL

Intel Technology                    Michael Mirmak
Micron Technology                   Randy Wolff
Signal Integrity Software:        * Mike LaBonte
Teraspeed Labs:                   * Bob Ross
Zuken USA:                        * Lance Wang

Everyone in attendance marked by *

NOTE: "AR" = Action Required.

-----------------------MINUTES ---------------------------
Mike LaBonte conducted the meeting.

Call for IBIS related patent disclosures:

- None


Call for opens:

- Mike said Randy Wolff could not attend


Review of previous meeting minutes:
Minutes from the March 23, 2021 meeting were reviewed.  Lance Wang moved to accept
the minutes.  Bob Ross seconded.  Without objection the minutes were accepted.


ARs:
- Bob Ross to update IBISCHK710 contract draft based on review
  - Done
- Mike LaBonte to fix erratic number formatting in TSCHK2 output
  - Not done
- Mike LaBonte to add output size option to TSCHK2 alpha5
  - Not done


NEW ITEMS:

New parser bug reports:
- None


IBISCHK development:
Bob Ross showed draft 1 of a contract for IBIS-ISS and Touchstone file linkage checking.
It described fixes for BUG214 and BUG215, adding checking for new IBIS 7.1 [C Comp
Model] and EMD features.  Mike LaBonte suggested a change to the document title,
replacing "Links" with "for IBIS-ISS and Touchstone file checking".  Bob said the
document had 10 pages of new features.  References from multi-lingual keywords would
be checked in addition to those from [Interconnect Model].  Parameter checking would
only apply to IBIS-ISS, not Touchstone, which did not support parameters.  Mike suggested
adding examples of the subckt definition lines that would correspond to the IBIS syntax
examples shown.  Bob said for the Ports subparameters in multilingual we would only need
count the ports.  Mike asked how Port_map worked under [Circuit Call].  Bob described
the syntax.

Mike noted that a bullet list described different constructs that could appear on the
right side of "=", but he felt the distinction was irrelevant.  Bob said the parser
would be inferring string vs. numeric types and checking against the inferred type of
the [Interconnect Model] default value.  Values with double quotes would be verified to
be string type.  In the case where the values were AMI parameters, the AMI file would
have to be consulted.  Mike felt that this depth of checking increased the possibility
that we would defer execution of the contract in the interest of time.  Bob said in
IBIS-ISS it was required that parameters be declared on the subckt definition line.
Mike noted that the example showed a .MODEL with parameters, saying that it would not
be checked.  He suggested adding comments to that effect.

The document had a bullet list of rules such as disallowing known "node 0" terminal
names on .subckt lines.  Bob said that error should cause checking to be aborted.
Mike felt there would be no reason to abort unless there was a chance of many error
messages.  A list of supported scaling suffixes was included.  Mike felt it was not
important to check suffixes since the actual values were not examined, and we were
not attempting a full syntax check.

Bob showed the syntax for Touchstone references, which were always corner format.
Mike wondered if "N=4" near the end was clear.  Bob showed that "N" was discussed well
enough above.

Bob said this contract could be merged with the IBIS 7.1 contract.  Mike said he would
be interested in two work estimates, one for the IBIS 7.1 contract and the other for both
contracts merged.  Lance Wang said the scope of the work was more than we had originally
discussed.

AR: Bob Ross to update IBIS-ISS and Touchstone parser contract with draft 2 edits


TSCHK 2.0.1 development:
- No discussion


Tabled topics (no discussion without motion):
  - BIRD181.2


Mike LaBonte moved to adjourn. Bob Ross seconded. Without objection the meeting ended.

Meeting ended: 13:19 ET

Next meeting April 6, 2021