I/O planning is critical for high-performing systems. Printed circuit board (PCB) designers often focus on the relationship and orientation of the FPGA on the PCB. Large ball grid array (BGA) devices can be the most difficult routing challenge a PCB designer faces.
Additional concerns include critical interface routing, power rail placement, and signal integrity. Collaborating closely with PCB designers helps address these design challenges. The Vivado IDE lets you visualize the relationship between physical package pins and internal die pads to optimize system-level interconnect.
Vivado offers several methods to exchange design information between FPGA, PCB, and system design domains. You can pass I/O pin configuration using a CSV spreadsheet, RTL header, or XDC file. The CSV spreadsheet contains package and I/O data useful for tasks such as matched-length connections and power connections. You can also export an I/O buffer information specification (IBIS) model from Vivado for signal integrity analysis on the PCB.
For more details, refer to the following resources:
- Vivado Design Suite User Guide: I/O and Clock Planning (UG899)
- Vivado Design Suite QuickTake Video: I/O Planning Overview
- Vivado Design Hub: I/O and Clock Planning