The Differential Pair Tuner makes precise length adjustments to the shorter side of a selected set of differential pair traces to equalize their lengths. The shorter of the two traces has serpentines added to it to increase the length.
The image below shows an example of the before and after condition of traces which have been tuned with the tool:
Here is a video of the tool working: (best viewed at 1080p, full screen)
Future enhancements to this tool will include:
– Dynamic tuning with the additional length added at each bend in the traces’ path.
– Integration with the Layer Stackup tool in CES and Xpedition to calculate additional length needed on a per-layer basis, along with time-of-flight calculations based on the dielectric materials surrounding the traces.