Entries Tagged as 'Calculator'
The Electron, the Tortoise, and the Hare
Posted July 25th, 2008 by Colin Warwick · 2 Comments · Calculator
How fast do the electrons travel in copper? Not as fast as you might think. A tortoise is much quicker.
The drift velocity at a safe current density (say 1A/mm2) is ~0.08mm/s, so slow you might wonder how a wall switch is able to turn the ceiling light on, never mind a how multigigabit/s serial link [...]
Tags: drift velocity·Fermi speed·flight time
Skin Effect Crisis
Posted July 16th, 2008 by Colin Warwick · 2 Comments · Calculator
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No, it’s nothing to do with Paris Hilton . In serial links, you hit the “skin effect crisis” when high frequency components of the EM waves in the dielectric induce eddy currents in the metal traces and can’t penetrate the whole thickness of conductor. The effective cross section is thus reduced, and the resistance [...]
Tags: skin depth·skin effect
The Microwave Crisis
Posted July 9th, 2008 by Colin Warwick · 2 Comments · Calculator
No, it doesn’t mean a hotdog has exploded in your microwave oven . In serial links, you hit the “microwave crisis” when the bit period is equal to or less than the flight time of the interconnect, or, equivalently, when the EM waves in the dielectric are equal to or less than the physical [...]
