How does Quilter work?

An overview of Quilter’s physics-driven approach to automated PCB layout, constraint handling, and validation.

Quilter is different from all other ECAD automation solutions because:

1. It understands good and bad physics, eliminating the need for you to program tedious design rules to get good results

2. It explores multiple stack-ups simultaneously and customizes each candidate for the stack-up it's designing with

3. It validates functionality with Physics Rule Checks (PRCs) to ensure that designs are likely to function as intended.

How Quilter is different from traditional ECAD tools

Quilter is different from automation features in an ECAD tool in a few important ways:

1. You specify constraints at the physics level, not the rules level. Most ECAD tools—even those with automation features—do not recognize the fundamental physics constraints present within a schematic. This means that humans must manually define the geometric rules needed to satisfy the physics requirements. Working with Quilter is closer to working with a layout engineer. Our goal is to understand the constraints at the physics level, allowing Quilter to calculate and apply the appropriate geometric constraints for every design variant (and stack-up) that it investigates.

Quilter understands constraints at the physics level so it can generate correct geometric rules for each of the many stack-ups that it explores.

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Physics Constraints

1. Quilter explores many stack-ups and design candidates simultaneously. In most CAD workflows, the stack-up is one of the first design parameters that gets locked down. This means that key decisions impacting electrical performance – such as layer count, material properties, and layer assignments – must be specified before the design process begins. With Quilter, your company's preferred stack-ups and compatible fabrication rules are pre-loaded into the system, enabling Quilter to explore multiple candidates and recommend the stack-up that achieves the best trade-offs between speed, cost, and physics performance.

Quilter can explore many candidates in parallel, letting you select the stack-up and design rules that produce the best combination of speed, cost, and performance.

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Design Parameters

1. Quilter validates functionality with Physics Rule Checks (PRCs) Quilter provisions dedicated Physics Rule Checks (PRCs) aligned directly with the physics constraints you define in your schematic. This ensures rigorous validation directly tied to electrical performance criteria, such as impedance control, signal integrity, and thermal management.

   When Quilter generates your design, it runs PRCs against each candidate layout and stack-up variation in parallel. PRCs quickly identify potential physics violations, ensuring each design iteration aligns precisely with your specified requirements. This automated validation process significantly reduces manual review efforts and enhances reliability, ensuring that each finalized PCB design consistently meets your performance goals.

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Physics Rule Checks (PRCs)