Analysis of Crosstalk Between Parallel Striplines Using the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method August 23, 1996 DISCUSSION The impact of interconnects on circuit performance in both the analog and digital domains is ever increasing. No longer can interconnects be treated as mere delays or lumped RC networks. Crosstalk, ringing and reflection are just some of the issues that need to be understood then circumvented or utilized. The most common simulation model for interconnects is the distributed RLCG model. Unfortunately, this model has many limitations which can lead to inaccurate simulations if not used correctly. This report uses the FDTD method to investigate crosstalk between transmission lines. The actual electromagnetic waves that propagate along striplines are computed allowing a direct, physical simulation of the coupling between striplines. The results are compared to theoretical and HSPICE computations. While all three computations agree qualitatively, the magnitudes of the crosstalk signals are quite different. The HSPICE computation is incorrect because the calculated coupling parameters are too large. The FDTD results, on the other hand, are within 25% of theory and can be further improved by using finer discretizations. The FDTD method produces useful and accurate resuls in the simple problem of analyzing crosstalk between parallel coplanar transmission lines. However, its distinguishing characteristic is its ability to simulate 3-D interconnect structures or structures exhibiting the skin effect. Since the FDTD method can be parallelized easily, this method is likely to be used to analyze ever more complex interconnects on massively parallel computer. More detailed information can be found an my writeup. RESULTS FDTD Simulation of Gaussion Pulse Propagating Down a Stripline Schematic Drawing of Coupled Striplines Theoretical Voltage Waveforms on the Passive Line  FDTD and HSPICE Voltage Waveforms on the Passive Line