Package capacitors impact on microprocessor maximum operating frequency

This paper discusses the behavior of microprocessor (CPU) maximum operating frequency (FMAX) under various conditions. In specific, the impact of voltage and temperature on the CPU FMAX for a gate delay dominated design vs. an RC-interconnect delay dominated design are described. As voltage tolerance is reduced through proper design placement of package capacitors, and using the optimal amount of capacitance and resistance (ESR) for the package capacitors, the CPU FMAX increases.