Analog-Digital Boundaries

Section goal

Boundary cells, ESD and isolation intent, substrate coupling, and AMS handoff contracts between analog and digital owners.

How to study this section

1. Start with topic hubs to learn contract and ownership.

2. Use mechanism and reports pages to map symptoms to root causes.

3. Use debug and worked-example pages for war-room practice.

4. Close with checklist and PPA pages before signing any change.

Topics

1. boundary-cell-design/ — Boundary Cell Design

2. esd-and-isolation/ — ESD & Isolation

3. noise-coupling-basics/ — Noise Coupling Basics

4. ams-handoff-contract/ — AMS Handoff Contract

Related topics

• AMS course hub

AMS deep dive

Boundary assumptions must be explicit, versioned, and testable.

Concept diagram

BOUNDARY CONTRACT FLOW

analog intent -> boundary implementation -> digital wrapper -> signed review

Metric graph

BOUNDARY RISK MIX

missing boundary cells    ███████
stale handoff assumptions ██████
silent mode changes       ████

Reports and artifacts

• boundary-cell coverage

• isolation/ESD review

• handoff contract checklist

• integration waiver log

Mini case study

Noise bursts traced to missing isolation clamp on one low-power transition mode.

Debug branches

• Validate boundary-cell insertion

• Diff handoff assumptions

• Reproduce with tagged mode sequence

Senior review question

Ask: what boundary condition proves this topic is actually closed?