Take a deeper dive into BCI-ROM

The Boundary Condition Independent Reduced Order Model (BCI-ROM) enables accurate electro-thermal simulation alongside the results of more well-established SPICE model circuit simulations. It is a clear response to the growing prevalence of thermal issues in today’s more complex designs.

Used within the context of a VHDL-AMS implementation, BCI-ROM enforces heat-flow conservation, like KCL for electronic circuit simulation.

As a new paper from Siemens EDA explains, “This enables the creation of thermal networks to represent multi-component thermal interactions. Component manufacturers can capture the thermal characteristics of their components and provide them to the OEM circuit/system designers. These designers can connect them together through BCI-ROMs of their PCBs, on schematics that also include functional electronic circuits. They can then accurately simulate electro-thermal interactions in both steady-state and transient operation.”

Matt Walsh of Siemens provides a broad overview of the benefits of the BCI-ROM innovation in this Tech Design Forum article. The paper, by his colleague Mike Donnelly, takes a deeper dive into the specifics of BCI-ROM, including the mathematics behind it and with reference to how it can be used with VHDL-AMS

One example considers how it helps overcome the simulation obstacles posed by widely differing time-constants that exist in electro-thermal circuits.

The result creates a new type of more accurate and efficient “model supply chain” for electro-thermal simulation.

‘Electro-thermal design breakthrough‘ is available to download here.