In this paper, a new model of lossy transmission lines is presented for the
time-domain simulation of high-speed interconnects. This model is based on
the modified method of characteristics (MMC). The characteristic functions
are first approximated by applying lower order Taylor series in the freque
ncy domain, and then a set of simple recursive formulas are obtained in the
time domain. The formulas, which involve tracking performance between two
ends of a transmission line, are similar to those derived by the method of
characteristics for lossless and undistorted lossy transmission lines. The
algorithm, based on the proposed MMC model, fan efficiently evaluate transi
ent responses of high-speed interconnects. It only uses the quantities at t
wo ends of the lines, requiring less computation time and less memory space
than required by other methods. Examples indicate that the new method is h
aving high accuracy and is very efficient for the time-domain simulation of
interconnects in high-speed integrated circuits.