Power Rail Design Innovation

In the context of the miniaturization and increased power density of electronic devices, the design principle of power rails, which are the core channels of power transmission, has undergone a profound transformation from traditional to cutting-edge. From chip-level precision power supplies to high-voltage transmission in rail transportation, the performance of power rails directly impacts the energy efficiency and stability of equipment.

The primary goal of power rail design is to reduce impedance, from 1 oz copper foil carrying 1 A per millimeter of width at the PCB level to milliohms at the chip level, where multiple layers of metal rails are connected in parallel.Power integrity (PI) is achieved through a "gradient decoupling" strategy: a 10 nF capacitor filters out high-frequency noise and a 10 μF electrolytic capacitor handles low-frequency ripple, ensuring voltage ripple of less than 5%. Data from a server vendor shows that power rail stability improves by 30% and energy consumption decreases by 15% after optimization.

As the 3-nanometer process becomes more widespread, the backside power supply network (BSPDN) technology shifts the power rail to the back of the wafer. Transistors are connected through nano-silicon through-silicon vias (TSVs), which reduces resistance by 70%. At the system level, 3D integration technology enables vertical cross-chip powering through silicon vias (TSVs) and supports high-density computing for applications such as AI chips. These innovations are reshaping the power rail design paradigm, transforming it from "flat wiring" to "three-dimensional energy networks."