A Unified Approach for the Analysis of Networks Composed of Transmission Lines and Lumped Circuits

The use of transmission line models in high-speed circuit analysis is here reviewed, by means of a unifying approach which allows getting insight on both the numerical simulation and theoretical investigation. Starting from a detailed analysis of the physical meanings of the transmission line models, the paper analyzes the effects of electrical interconnects on signal propagation by using a suitable time-domain equivalent circuit representation of the lines. Qualitative and quantitative analysis are carried out, with particular emphasys to nonlinear dynamics.