Glossary comparison
Power integrity vs Signal integrity: what is the difference?
The difference
Signal integrity concerns data signals between chips. Power integrity concerns supplies, though supply noise does affect signal quality.
Power integrity concerns the supply voltage reaching circuits; signal integrity concerns the data signals. They interact, since supply noise shows up as signal jitter, and are often analysed together.
The two terms
Power integrity
How well the power delivery network supplies a steady voltage to every circuit under changing load, and the analysis that checks it from regulator through board and package to the transistors.
Signal integrity
How faithfully an electrical signal keeps its shape and timing as it travels through a chip, package and board, and the analysis that checks it. Reflections, crosstalk, loss and noise can cause errors, so high-speed interfaces are simulated and measured against eye and jitter limits.
Side by side
| Field | Power integrity | Signal integrity |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Not an abbreviation | Not an abbreviation |
| Type | Term | Term |
| Domain | Physical Design & Signoff | Interfaces & SerDes |
| Group | Power integrity | Signal integrity |