The multiple GHz clock speeds of a microprocessor's internal logic typically cannot be maintained for its off-chip signals. The main bottleneck causing this IC vs. packaging performance gap is the electrical properties of interconnects and packages. They behave as distributed circuits, causing reflections, attenuation, dispersion, and crosstalk. Moreover, high-speed digital signals are affected by power supply noise, and cause increased electromagnetic interference due to discontinuities in the transmission-line reference planes.
Dr. Engin's research is in the area of electromagnetic interference with focus on signal/power integrity modeling and numerical electromagnetics applied to microelectronic packages and 3D stacked ICs. He has been researching new modeling and analysis methodologies for electrical design of interconnects, packages, and power delivery networks and has developed novel algorithms and design tools for advanced packaging that enables high-speed and high-performance systems.