EMC Reference Material

age 1 of 76
CopyrlghL 2014 LMC lasLass

age 2 of 76

Getting EMC Design Right
First Time
Version 2.0

By

Author: M. Rangu (Ph.D)

Editor: A. Eadie (B.Eng)

age 3 of 76

Foreword

LMC lasLass was creaLed wlLh a sole mlsslon: 1o geL elecLronlc deslgn companles Lhrough
onerous LMC LesLlng requlremenLs fasLer and cheaper. Cur alm ls Lo asslsL Lhe elecLronlcs deslgn
lndusLry Lo focus on maklng producLs LhaL make money, and mlnlmlze Lhe lmpacL of regulaLory
red Lape wherever posslble. 1o achleve Lhls, we offer valuable advlce on how Lo deslgn producLs
LhaL pass LesLlng flrsL Llme around, such as Lhls ebook and our lndusLry leadlng LMC AuLo-
CorrecL ueslgn 8evlew (vlslL hLLp://www.emcfasLpass.com for more deLalls) as well as regulaLory
guldance Lo help cllenLs avold or mlnlmlze 3rd parLy LesLlng wherever posslble. We also acLlvely
lobby governmenL agencles such as Lhe lCC for senslble de-regulaLlon opporLunlLles LhaL lower
Lhe LesLlng burden on elecLronlcs manufacLurers.

As a senlor hardware deslgn englneer and former founder/owner of an LMC LesL lab, l can
appreclaLe Lhe lndusLry's frusLraLlon wlLh Lhe LMC/8l LesLlng process. lL ls expenslve and can
lead Lo producL launch delays of weeks or even monLhs. Cver Lhe 3 years LhaL l managed a LesL
lab, l noLlced several areas LhaL many manufacLurers conslsLenLly sLruggled wlLh. MosL
companles l came across only released 1-3 new producLs per year and as such, dld noL
encounLer Lhe LesLlng process regularly. 1esL labs on Lhe oLher hand see Lens or hundreds of
producLs per year and Lherefore have a much beLLer undersLandlng of Lyplcal fallure modes and
flxes.

LMC lasLass closes Lhls loop ln knowledge beLween LesL labs and Lhe elecLronlcs lndusLry
uLlllzlng a sLep by sLep supporL process. 1he process regularly saves cllenLs $10,000+ ln LesLlng
cosLs and 6 weeks Llme Lo markeL.

Ln[oy,
Andy Ladle.

Tips and Tricks Email Sign-Up

lf you haven'L already [olned Lhe 100's of companles around Lhe world LhaL have slgned up Lo
our free newsleLLer, where we regularly dlsclose llLLle known deslgn and regulaLory Llps LhaL can
be worLh as much as $3000 Lo your company, Lhen please do so here.

Disclaimer

1he lnformaLlon provlded wlLhln Lhls documenL ls based upon lndusLry sLandard besL pracLlces. Powever,
lmplemenLlng any or all of Lhe recommended changes conLalned wlLhln Lhls reporL offers no guaranLee
LhaL Lhe producL wlll be funcLlonal or pass LMC emlsslons or lmmunlLy LesL sLandards. 1hls documenL or
any porLlon of lLs conLenLs may noL be modlfled, copled, reproduced or dlsLrlbuLed ln any form, for proflL
or oLherwlse, wlLhouL express consenL of 'LMC lasLass'. ConLacL lnfo[emcfasLpass.com for publlshlng
requesLs.

age 4 of 76

Table of Contents

1. Ground|ng and |anes...................................................................................................... 7
1.1 lllLers ............................................................................................................................ 7
1.2 8ouLlng ......................................................................................................................... 8
1.3 lane sloLs and boundarles .......................................................................................... 9
1.4 uecoupllng capaclLors ................................................................................................ 10
1.3 ower ulsLrlbuLlon neLwork lmpedance .................................................................... 11
2. n|gh Speed Cons|derat|ons ............................................................................................ 13
2.1 ldenLlfylng Plgh Speed Slgnals ................................................................................... 13
2.2 lmpedance .................................................................................................................. 14
2.2.1 Slngle Lnded CharacLerlsLlc lmpedance ............................................................. 13
2.2.2 ulfferenLlal lmpedance ....................................................................................... 16
2.3 1ermlnaLlons............................................................................................................... 18
2.3.1 Slngle Lnded 1ermlnaLlons ................................................................................. 18
2.3.2 ulfferenLlal 1ermlnaLlons ................................................................................... 20
2.4 lacemenL ................................................................................................................... 22
2.4.1 arLlLlonlng ......................................................................................................... 22
2.4.2 Zonlng ................................................................................................................. 22
2.4.3 Analog 8uffers .................................................................................................... 23
2.3 8ouLlng ....................................................................................................................... 24
2.3.1 1opology ............................................................................................................. 24
2.3.2 8us 8ouLlng ......................................................................................................... 26
2.3.3 Corners ............................................................................................................... 28
2.3.4 vlas ..................................................................................................................... 28
2.3.3 ulfferenLlal 8ouLlng ............................................................................................ 28
2.3.6 roxlmlLy Lo 8oard Ldge ..................................................................................... 30
2.6 Slgnal 1lmlng ............................................................................................................... 31
2.6.1 ldenLlfylng Llme-crlLlcal slgnals ........................................................................... 31
2.6.2 ropagaLlon Llme ................................................................................................ 32
2.6.3 Lye dlagram analysls .......................................................................................... 32
2.7 CsclllaLors / CrysLals ................................................................................................... 33
3. Crossta|k ......................................................................................................................... 33
3.1 ldenLlfylng vlcLlms and Aggressors ........................................................................ 33
3.2 Layer AsslgnmenL ................................................................................................... 33
3.3 CrLhogonallLy ......................................................................................................... 36
3.4 arallellsm .............................................................................................................. 36
3.3 Cuardlng ................................................................................................................. 37
3.6 8eLurn paLhs ........................................................................................................... 38
3.7 8ecelver lacemenL ................................................................................................ 39
4. LMC Cons|derat|ons ....................................................................................................... 42
4.1 Ceneral ConslderaLlons .............................................................................................. 42
4.2 ComponenLs ............................................................................................................... 42
4.2.1 ComponenL selecLlon ......................................................................................... 43
4.2.2 Plgh speed fllLers ................................................................................................ 43
4.2.3 unused plns ........................................................................................................ 44

age 3 of 76
4.2.4 PeaLslnks ............................................................................................................ 44
4.2.3 Shlelded componenLs ......................................................................................... 44
4.3 ower Supply .............................................................................................................. 43
4.3.1 Malns .................................................................................................................. 43
4.3.2 volLage regulaLors .............................................................................................. 43
4.3.3 SwlLchlng mode power supplles ......................................................................... 46
4.4 8ouLlng ....................................................................................................................... 47
4.4.1 Clock dlsLrlbuLlon ................................................................................................ 47
4.4.2 Cuardlng ............................................................................................................. 48
4.4.3 SLubs ................................................................................................................... 49
4.3 SysLem deslgn ............................................................................................................. 49
4.3.1 Chassls groundlng ............................................................................................... 49
4.3.2 Cables ................................................................................................................. 30
4.3.3 ConnecLors ......................................................................................................... 31
4.6 LSu & SafeLy ............................................................................................................... 32
4.6.1 ConnecLors ......................................................................................................... 32
4.6.2 SenslLlve plns .......................................................................................................... 34
4.6.3 Plgh volLage ........................................................................................................... 34
3. Des|gn for 1est ............................................................................................................... 33
3.1 1esL olnLs .................................................................................................................. 33
3.2 1oollng lns ................................................................................................................ 33
3.3 ush flngers ................................................................................................................ 36
3.4 Seallng ........................................................................................................................ 36
3.3 ACl .............................................................................................................................. 36
6. Des|gn for Manufacture ................................................................................................. 37
6.1 SLackup ....................................................................................................................... 37
6.1.1 SymmeLry ........................................................................................................... 37
6.1.2 urlll palrs ............................................................................................................. 37
6.1.3 Copper balance ................................................................................................... 38
6.2 ueslgn 8ules Check ..................................................................................................... 39
6.2.1 Clearance ............................................................................................................ 39
6.2.2 WldLh .................................................................................................................. 60
6.2.3 Annular 8lng ....................................................................................................... 60
6.2.4 Sllvers .................................................................................................................. 60
6.2.3 Acld 1raps ........................................................................................................... 61
6.2.6 Sllkscreen Cver ads ........................................................................................... 62
6.3 Mechanlcal ................................................................................................................. 62
6.3.1 Mechanlcal urawlngs ......................................................................................... 62
6.3.2 urlll urawlngs ..................................................................................................... 63
6.3.3 SloLs .................................................................................................................... 63
6.3.4 MounLlng holes .................................................................................................. 64
6.3.3 anellzaLlon ........................................................................................................ 64
6.3.6 C8 manufacLurlng speclflcaLlons ...................................................................... 63
6.4 Assembly ConslderaLlons ........................................................................................... 66
6.4.1 Assembly llow .................................................................................................... 66
6.4.2 SLenclls ................................................................................................................ 66
6.4.3 anellzed Assembly ............................................................................................ 67
6.4.4 uecals ................................................................................................................. 67
6.4.3 llduclals .............................................................................................................. 68

age 6 of 76
6.4.6 1hermal 8ellef .................................................................................................... 69
6.4.7 Assembly drawlngs and 8CM ............................................................................. 69
6.4.8 C8 Assembly SpeclflcaLlons .............................................................................. 70
6.3 ManufacLurlng flles .................................................................................................... 71
6.3.1 Cerber ................................................................................................................. 71
6.3.2 nC urlll ................................................................................................................ 71
6.3.3 lck & lace ........................................................................................................ 71
6.3.4 1esL olnL 8eporL ................................................................................................ 71
7. 1herma| cons|derat|ons ................................................................................................. 72
7.1 ower ulsslpaLlon ....................................................................................................... 72
7.2 PeaLslnks .................................................................................................................... 72
7.3 Coollng Areas .............................................................................................................. 73
7.4 CurrenL Carrylng CapaclLy .......................................................................................... 73
8. ne|pfu| Ut|||t|es .............................................................................................................. 73
8.1 lC7331 Land aLLern CalculaLor ................................................................................ 73
8.2 C8 labrlcaLlon Wall CharL ......................................................................................... 73
8.3 C8 CalculaLors ........................................................................................................... 73
8.4 lllLer SelecLlon SlmulaLor ........................................................................................... 76
8.3 ClrculL SlmulaLlon 1ools .............................................................................................. 76

age 7 of 76

1. Ground|ng and |anes

1.1 I||ters

Lach power supply musL have a fllLer locaLed ln close proxlmlLy elLher Lo Lhe volLage
regulaLor lf lL ls locaLed on board, or near Lhe C8 enLry polnL lf regulaLor ls exLernal. 1hls fllLer
should be deslgned ln accordance wlLh Lhe rlpple characLerlsLlcs of Lhe regulaLor and Lhe power
supply requlremenLs of Lhe lnLegraLed clrculLs, and should lnclude aL leasL Lwo capaclLors:
- Cne large capaclLor ( l ) for low-frequency fllLerlng
- Cne small capaclLor ( nl ) for hlgh-frequency fllLerlng

lnLegraLed clrculLs LhaL requlre a clean power supply should be provlded wlLh an
addlLlonal L-C fllLer, Lo avold nolse coupllng Lhrough from oLher blocks of Lhe clrculL. An example
of approprlaLe fllLerlng for such a case ls lllusLraLed by flgure 3.1

llg. 3.1 lllLerlng of hlgh and low S88 blocks supply

lurLher deLalls on Lhe fllLer placemenL and rouLlng are provlded ln Lhe LMC chapLer,
paragraph 6.3.2

n|nt on f||ter|ng
- "#$ % &'()%' *+',$- *(- $%./ 0(1$- #200'34 "#$ % '(.%' *+',$- *(- $%./ )'(.5
#$6#+,+7$ ,( 0(1$- #200'3 6(+#$4

age 8 of 76
1.2 kout|ng

1he power dlsLrlbuLlon neLwork (un) should provlde a low-lmpedance paLh beLween
Lhe volLage regulaLor and Lhe lnLegraLed clrculLs. 1he besL way Lo achleve Lhls ls by uslng power
planes boLh for Lhe supply volLage and ground, as planes provlde an lnLer-plane capaclLance and
a low lnducLance. lf mulLlple supply volLages and ground neLs are used, Lhey should noL be
placed on parallel planes as Lhe capaclLlve coupllng beLween Lhem wlll allow hlgh frequency
currenLs Lo flow beLween planes. lor such a case Lhe plane layers should be spllL beLween
mulLlple neLs. llgure 3.2 lllusLraLes an example of poor and proper separaLlon of slgnal and 8l
ground.

CCk

GCCD

llg. 3.2 Lxample of poor and good ground separaLlon

1he flrsL soluLlon ls poor because:
- 8l currenLs musL Lravel Lo Lhe dlglLal ground ln order Lo reach Lhe Cnu polnL (aL supply)
- 1he small clearance beLween dlglLal and 8l ground wlll generaLe capaclLlve coupllng

1he second soluLlon ls good because:
- 8l reLurn paLh does noL overlap wlLh Lhe dlglLal reLurn paLh
- 1he large clearance beLween planes mlnlmlzes Lhe coupllng capaclLance
- AddlLlonal lnducLors lncrease Lhe coupllng lmpedance, Lo prevenL 8l currenLs Lo flow
from one plane Lo anoLher

lf planes cannoL be used for each supply volLage, Lhe rouLlng should be done wlLh
respecL Lo Lhe followlng recommendaLlons:
8+9 ower and ground Lraces should be as wlde as posslble
8++9 ower and ground Lraces should noL creaLe large loops, as Lhls wlll drasLlcally
lncrease Lhe self lnducLance
8+++9 Any avallable areas on C8 should be fllled wlLh ground lsland
8+79 lf a layer ls used for boLh rouLlng and as a ground plane, cauLlon should be Laken
when rouLlng Lhrough Lhe plane ln order Lo avold creaLlng large reLurn loops. lf a
Lrace musL peneLraLe Lhe plane Lhen Lhls should be brldged, as lllusLraLed by flg 3.3.

An abso|ute MUS1 for rout|ng power]ground traces
- :(1$-;&-(26< ,-%.$ #/(2'< )$ %# 1+<$ %# 0(##+)'$ %6< .'(#$ ,( $%./ (,/$-4

age 9 of 76
(a) (b)
llg. 3.3 un-brldged (a) and brldged (b) ground plane

879 lf a sLar dlsLrlbuLlon Lopology ls requlred for crossLalk or LMC conslderaLlons, such
as Lhe un lllusLraLed ln flg. 3.1, each supply Lrace musL have lLs own reLurn paLh ln
order Lo fulflll Lhe small loop area" requlremenL
87+9 lf mulLlple lsolaLed ground levels are used, such as a common ground and a 8l
ground, Lhey should noL be rouLed ln proxlmlLy Lo avold capaclLlve coupllng.

1.3 |ane s|ots and boundar|es

lane sloLs are creaLed when a plane ls cuL Lo accommodaLe rouLlng Lraces. 1hls should
be avolded when posslble, buL someLlmes musL be done due Lo rouLlng space resLrlcLlons. lane
sloLs are also creaLed by 1Pu componenLs such as dual ln-llne lCs or row connecLors. llgure 3.4
lllusLraLes such examples of plane sloLs.

llg. 3.4 lane sloLs
When a slgnal Lrace passes over a plane sloL, Lhe reLurn currenL wlll have Lo Lravel around Lhe
sloL and so creaLe a large loop whlch wlll add an lmpedance dlsconLlnulLy, lncrease lLs self
lnducLance and radlaLed emlsslon. 1o prevenL Lhls, hlgh speed slgnal Lraces should noL pass over
plane sloLs. lf Lhls cannoL be avolded Lhan anoLher reLurn paLh should be creaLed, close Lo Lhe
slgnal paLh, elLher uslng a ground Lrace or a parLlal plane on anoLher layer.
A slmllar Lhlng happens when slgnals pass over Lhe boundary beLween separaLed planes. 1hls
should also be avolded.

n|nt on rout|ng over p|ane s|ots and boundar|es
- =(6>, ???

age 10 of 76
1.4 Decoup||ng capac|tors

Lach lnLegraLed clrculL should have aL leasL a decoupllng capaclLor placed ln close
proxlmlLy Lo Lhe supply plns. 1he decoupllng capaclLors are requlred Lo provlde Lhe LranslenL
currenLs Lhe lC needs durlng swlLchlng, Lo counLeracL Lhe effecL of Lhe power supply ouLpuL
lnducLance and supply-lC lnLerconnecLlon lnducLance. lor Lhe decoupllng capaclLors Lo be
effecLlve, Lhelr placemenL and rouLlng should be done wlLh respecL Lo Lhe followlng
recommendaLlons:
8+9 1he decoupllng capaclLors should be placed as closed as posslble Lo Lhe supply plns
of Lhe lC
8++9 lf Lhe lC has mulLlple vCC-Cnu palrs, each requlre lLs own decoupllng capaclLor. See
manufacLurer's daLasheeL and appllcaLlon noLes for furLher deLalls.
8+++9 lf Lhe power and ground plns are far aparL, lL ls beLLer Lo place Lhe capaclLor closer
Lo Lhe ground pln, as slgnals are referenced Lo ground
8+79 1he power and ground plns should noL be connecLed dlrecLly Lo Lhe power and
ground neLs buL Lhrough Lhe decoupllng capaclLor, oLherwlse lLs effecLlveness wlll
be llmlLed
879 1he Lraces connecLlng Lhe decoupllng capaclLor Lo Lhe lC plns should be as wlde and
closely spaces as posslble, Lo provlde a low lmpedance beLween Lhem
87+9 1he Lraces connecLlng Lhe decoupllng capaclLor Lo Lhe power and supply neLs should
be narrow and loosely spaced, Lo provlde a hlgh lmpedance Lo Lhe poLenLlal nolsy
power and ground neLs.

llgure 3.3 lllusLraLes Lhe approprlaLe placemenL and rouLlng of Lhe decoupllng capaclLors.

llg. 3.3 lacemenL / rouLlng of Lhe decoupllng capaclLors

n|nt on decoup||ng
- "#$ @2',+0'$ <$.(20'+6& .%0%.+,(-# 0$- 0+6 0%+- *(- AB# $C0$.,$< ,( &$6$-%,$
% '(, (* 6(+#$ 8/+&/D#0$$< )2# <-+7$-#E =F:#E 0-(.$##(-#9
n|nt on rout|ng decoup||ng capac|tors
- G%5$ #2-$ ,/$ #200'3 .2--$6, &($# ,( .%0%.+,(- *+-#,E %6< (6'3 ,/$6 ,( ,/$ AB

age 11 of 76
Standa|one De-coup||ng Capac|tor V|a |acement Lffect|veness

1.S ower D|str|but|on Network Impedance

1he power dlsLrlbuLlon neLwork (un) lmpedance ls deLermlned by several facLors,
lllusLraLed by flg. 3.6:
- 1he power supply ouLpuL lmpedance
- 1he C8 Lraces lmpedances
- 1he power supply fllLerlng
- 1he decoupllng capaclLors
- 1he cholce of fllLerlng and decoupllng capaclLors (Lrough Lhelr equlvalenL serles
reslsLance - LS8 - and equlvalenL serles lnducLance - LSL)
- 1he lnLer-plane capaclLance of Lhe C8
- 1he lCs lnpuL lmpedance.

llg. 3.6 un LqulvalenL clrculL

1he goal of analyzlng Lhe un lmpedance ls Lo keep lL as low as posslble on Lhe enLlre
frequency range beLween uC and Lhe effecLlve frequency (see paragraph 4.2 for a deflnlLlon of
Lhe effecLlve frequency). 1he mosL crlLlcal aspecL regardlng Lhe cholce of decoupllng capaclLors
ls, besldes Lhe capaclLance value, Lhelr LSL. As a general requlremenL, decoupllng capaclLors
should have a low LSL, whlch ls accompllshed uslng small packages (0402, 0603).
As so many facLors conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe un lmpedance, lL ls lmporLanL Lo run a Lhorough
analysls uslng a sofLware Lool. llgure 3.7 lllusLraLes one slLuaLlon where a slngle deLall really
n|nt on DN |mpedance
- =(6>, ,-2#, -2'$# (* ,/2@) (6 ,/+#E %# <$,%+'# @%,,$-4 H26 % ,/(-(2&/ %6%'3#+#
,( @%5$ #2-$ ,/$ :=I +@0$<%6.$ +# '(1 (6 ,/$ $6,+-$ *-$J2$6.3 -%6&$4
8educed lnducLance = lmprovemenL
Worse performance
8eLLer performance

age 12 of 76
makes Lhe dlfference: Lwo ldenLlcal decoupllng soluLlons lmplemenLed on dlfferenL sLackups.
noLe LhaL when Lhe C8 provldes an lnLer-plane capaclLance Lhe un wlll have a large
lmpedance around 300 MPz, caused by Lhe anLl-resonance beLween Lhe lnLer-plane capaclLance
and Lhe 1 [nl] decoupllng capaclLor, whlch wlll llkely generaLe hlgher supply nolse aL Lhls
frequency.

100 [I] || 1 [nI] || C8 |nter-p|ane capac|tance

100 [I] || 1 [nI], no C8 |nter-p|ane capac|tance

llg. 3.3 un lmpedance analysls

lree un analysls sofLware such as AlLera's un Lool can provlde a
lumped-modellng analysls of Lhe decoupllng neLwork Lo predlcL Lhelr lmpedance. lf a more

age 13 of 76
deLalled analysls ls requlred Lhen a dlsLrlbuLed-modellng slmulaLlon uslng a power lnLegrlLy
slmulaLor such as Pyperlynx l should be consldered. See secLlon 11.3 for sofLware opLlons.

2. n|gh Speed Cons|derat|ons

2.1 Ident|fy|ng n|gh Speed S|gna|s

Plgh speed slgnals are noL necessary slgnals of hlgh frequency, buL raLher slgnal wlLh fasL
rlse/fall Llme. MosL of Lhe energy of a dlglLal slgnal ls concenLraLed below Lhe knee frequency,
deflned as:
0.35
[ ]
[ ]
KNEE
rise
f GHz
t ns
= (4.1)

llg. 4.1 SpecLrum of a dlglLal slgnal wlLh f
CL8A1lnC
=1 [MPz] and L
r
= 0.1 [ns]

ln order Lo avold dlsLorLlon of dlglLal slgnals, Lhe C8 musL be able Lo LransporL Lhelr
enLlre specLrum noL [usL Lhe operaLlng frequency.

Cr|t|ca| Length ku|e
- F+&6%'# .%--+$< )3 :BK ,-%.$# '(6&$- ,/%6 L;LM (* ,/$ .-+,+.%' '$6&,/ #/(2'< )$
-$&%-<$< %# /+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'#

age 14 of 76
Plgh speed slgnals make Lhe C8 Lraces acL as Lransmlsslon llne, even lf Lhelr physlcal
lengLh seems shorL. A good lndlcaLor of when a Lrace exhlblLs Lransmlsslon llne behavlor ls Lhe
crlLlcal lengLh, deflned as:
[ ]
2 2
r r
CR
t t v
l m
TD

= =
(4.2)

, where 1u ls Lhe characLerlsLlc Llme delay of Lhe llne:
8
1
3 10
r
s
TD
v m
c
(
= ~
(

(4.3)
llg. 4.2 lllusLraLes Lhe crlLlcal lengLh for varlous dlelecLrlc consLanLs (
r
c ) ln Lhe Lyplcal
range 2-10.

llg. 4.2 1he crlLlcal lengLh for varlous dlelecLrlc consLanLs

As Lhe physlcal lengLh of Lhe Lrace approaches Lhe crlLlcal lengLh, slgnal reflecLlon,
crossLalk and elecLromagneLlc radlaLlon lncrease.

2.2 Impedance

Contro||ed Impedance ku|e
- N+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'# #/(2'< %'1%3# )$ -(2,$< 1+,/ .(6,-(''$< +@0$<%6.$E
$+,/$- +6 @+.-(#,-+0 (- #,-+0'+6$ .(6*+&2-%,+(64 O2-,/$-@(-$E /+&/ #0$$<
#+&6%'# -$J2+-$ ,$-@+6%,+(6# 8#$$ 0%-%&-%0/ P4Q9

Note on d|fferent|a| |mpedance:
- R/$ <+**$-$6,+%' +@0$<%6.$ (* % <+**$-$6,+%' 0%+- +# ,1+.$ ,/$ (<<D@(<$
./%-%.,$-+#,+. +@0$<%6.$ (* $%./ ,-%.$ %6< '(1$- ,/%6 ,/$ <+**$-$6,+%'
+@0$<%6.$ (* ,1( 26D.(20'$< ,-%.$#

age 13 of 76
2.2.1 S|ng|e Lnded Character|st|c Impedance
1he characLerlsLlc lmpedance of a C8 Lrace represenLs Lhe raLlo of Lhe volLage and
currenL waves propagaLlng Lhrough a Lransmlsslon llne. lL ls characLerlsLlc ln Lhe sense LhaL lL
characLerlzes slgnal propagaLlon Lhrough any lnflnlLeslmally shorL segmenL of Lhe Lransmlsslon
llne, and lL ls a local parameLer as lL can vary along Lhe Lrace.
noLe LhaL Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance should noL be mlsLaken as Lhe self lmpedance
(or self reslsLance) of Lhe Lrace: a 1[m] long Lrace may have Lhe same characLerlsLlc lmpedance
as a 2[m] long Lrace, whlle Lhelr self reslsLances wlll be dlfferenL. 1he Lyplcal range for C8 Lraces
characLerlsLlc lmpedance ls 20-100 [U] and please noLe LhaL Lhe self reslsLance of Lhe same Lrace
mlghL be ln Lhe range of hundreds of [mU].
Lach lnflnlLeslmally shorL segmenL of a Lransmlsslon llne can be regarded as an 8-L-C-C
clrculL, as lllusLraLed by flg. 4.3. 1hose characLerlsLlc parameLers of Lhe Lransmlsslon llne
deLermlne lLs characLerlsLlc lmpedance:
| |
0 0 0
0
0 0 0
R j L L
Z
G j C C
e
e
+
= ~ O
+
(4.4)

llg. 4.3 1he elecLrlcal model of a Lransmlsslon llne

1he characLerlsLlc lmpedance ls deLermlned by Lhe dlelecLrlc Lype, Lrace geomeLry and
proxlmlLy Lo power and ground planes. ln order Lo conLrol Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of a
Lrace, Lhose parameLers musL be conLrolled. 1here are Lwo baslc C8 geomeLrles LhaL allow Lhe
conLrol of Lhe Lraces characLerlsLlc lmpedance: mlcrosLrlp (slgnal Lrace LexL Lo a slngle reference
plane) and sLrlpllne (slgnal Lrace beLween Lwo reference planes). LlLher vCC or Cnu planes can
be regarded as reference planes for lmpedance conLrol.

Surface m|crostr|p

Symmetr|c str|p||ne

age 16 of 76
0
87 5.98
ln
0 .41
[
8 1
]
.
r
H
Z
W T c
| |
=
|
+ + .
O
\

( )
0
1.9 2
60
ln
0
[ ]
.8
r
H T
Z
W T c
| | +
=
|
+
\ .
O

Lmbedded m|crostr|p

0
60 5.98
ln
0.8 '
[ ]
r
H
Z
W T c
| |
=
|
+
\ .
O
1.55 '
' 1
H
H
r r
e c c

| |
=
|
\ .

Asymmetr|c str|p||ne

( )
0
1.9 2
80
ln 1 [
.8
]
0 4 '
r
H T
H
Z
W T H c
| | +
| |
=
|
|
\ .
\ .
O
+

llg. 4.4 ConLrolled lmpedance conflguraLlons

lor an esLlmaLlon of Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of C8 Lraces use an analyLlc
calculaLor such as Zcalc, buL wlLh precauLlon regardlng Lhe accuracy range. Lven ln Lhe speclfled
range a 3 calculaLlon error should be expecLed. lor a more preclse evaluaLlon of Lhe
characLerlsLlc lmpedance, use a fleld solver such as olar Sl8000.

2.2.2 D|fferent|a| Impedance
ulfferenLlal slgnals should always be rouLed ln parallel and close Lo each oLher ln order
Lo avold coupllng of dlfferenLlal nolse from varlous sources. 1hls coupllng beLween dlfferenLlal
Lraces (also called dlfferenLlal palr") lnLroduces muLual lnducLances and capaclLances, whlch
affecLs Lhelr characLerlsLlc lmpedance. Slnce dlfferenLlal slgnals always Lravel ln opposlLe
dlrecLlon, Lhls coupllng (also called odd mode coupllng") wlll decrease Lhe characLerlsLlc
lmpedance of each Lrace, accordlng Lo Lhe equaLlons:
| |
| |
10 12 10
_1
10 12 10
20 12 20
_ 2
20 12 20
ODD
ODD
L L L
Z
C C C
L L L
Z
C C C
= < O
+
= < O
+
(4.3)

age 17 of 76

llg. 4.3 Cdd mode propagaLlon of dlfferenLlal slgnals
When dlfferenLlal slgnals propagaLe on dlfferenLlal palrs, Lhe lnformaLlon ls carrled by
Lhe dlfference of Lhe volLages on Lhe Lwo llnes. 1hls dlfferenLlal slgnal wlll see" Lhe
characLerlsLlc lmpedance of Lhe palr as Lwlce Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of each lndlvldual
Lrace.

llg. 4.6 ropagaLlon of dlfferenLlal slgnals on dlfferenLlal palrs

0
( ) 2
2
diff
diff
V
V V V V V
Z Z
I I I I
+ + + +

= = = = = (4.6)

Slnce Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of each lndlvldual Lrace ls Lhe odd mode lmpedance,
Lhe dlfferenLlal lmpedance ls deflned as:

10 12
0_
10 12
2 2
diff ODD
L L
Z Z
C C
= =
+
(4.7)

lor an esLlmaLlon of Lhe dlfferenLlal lmpedance an analyLlc calculaLor such as Zcalc may
be used. Powever, please noLe LhaL analyLlc calculaLors can provlde as much as 30 calculaLlon
error when lL comes Lo evaluaLe odd and even mode propagaLlon, so a fleld solver such as olar
Sl8000 ls hlghly recommended.

age 18 of 76
2.3 1erm|nat|ons

2.3.1 S|ng|e Lnded 1erm|nat|ons
When hlgh speed slgnals arrlve aL an lmpedance dlsconLlnulLy polnL, some of Lhe energy
of Lhe slgnal wlll reflecL and Lravel back Lo Lhe generaLor. Slgnal reflecLlons are a ma[or cause of
nolse and radlaLlon on C8s, and should be avolded.
1o avold reflecLlons, hlgh speed slgnals should see a consLanL lmpedance from Lhe drlver
Lo Lhe recelver. 1hls requlres noL [usL Lo keep Lhe lmpedance of Lhe C8 Lrace consLanL, whlch ls
achleved uslng mlcrosLrlp or sLrlpllne conflguraLlons, buL also Lo make Lhe C8 Lrace
characLerlsLlc lmpedance (Z
0
) equal Lo Lhe drlver clrculL ouLpuL lmpedance (Z
Cu1
) and Lhe
recelver clrculL lnpuL lmpedance (Z
ln
). 1hls condlLlon ls generally noL meL by defaulL because
drlver clrculLs usually have low ouLpuL lmpedances and recelver clrculLs usually have hlgh lnpuL
lmpedance. llg. 4.7 shows a Lyplcal slgnal dlsLorLlon caused by mulLlple reflecLlons.

1erm|nat|on n|nt:
- S/$6 /+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'# <-+7$ % ./%+6 (* @2',+0'$ -$.$+7$-# (6'3 ,/$
*%-,/$-@(#, *-(@ <-+7$- #/(2'< )$ ,$-@+6%,$< 8#$$ 0%-%&-%0/ P4T4Q (6
,(0('(&39
1erm|nat|on n|nt:
- R/$ $%#+$#, 1%3 ,( ,$-@+6%,$ % <+**$-$6,+%' 0%+- +# 2#+6& % #+6&'$ -$#+#,(-
$J2%' ,( ,/$ <+**$-$6,+%' +@0$<%6.$ (* ,/$ :BK ,-%.$#

1erm|nat|on ku|e:
- N+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'# -$J2+-$ ,$-@+6%,+(6 $+,/$- %, ,/$ <-+7$- (- ,/$ -$.$+7$-
$6<4 =( 6(, 2#$ ,$-@+6%,+(6 %, )(,/ $6<#E %# +, 1+'' -$<2.$ ,/$ 7(',%&$ ,( /%'*
,/$+- <-+7$6 7%'2$#4

age 19 of 76

0 OUT IN
Z Z Z < <

llg. 4.7 1yplcal waveform aL Lhe recelver for LermlnaLed and un-LermlnaLed Lraces

ln order Lo avold reflecLlons aL Lhe drlver and recelver ends of a C8 Lrace, Lhelr
lmpedance should maLch Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of Lhe C8 Lrace. 1hls Lechnlque ls called
LermlnaLlon" and achleved uslng reslsLors connecLed aL drlver / recelver ends of Lhe C8 Lrace.
llg. 4.8 presenLs Lhe slngle ended LermlnaLlon Lechnlques.

Ser|es term|nat|on (at dr|ver)

- Avolds slgnal dlsLorLlon aL recelver
- uoesn'L ellmlnaLe Lhe flrsL reflecLlon aL
Lhe recelver (poLenLlal radlaLlon
problems)
- Pas no effecL on Lhe drlver currenL and
uC volLage levels

ara||e| term|nat|on (at rece|ver)

- 1he LermlnaLlon reslsLor may be
connecLed elLher Lo vCC or Cnu
- LllmlnaLes all Lhe reflecLlons
- lncreases Lhe drlver uC currenL (musL
drlve a low-value reslsLor)
- 8eslsLor Lo Cnu lowers Lhe uC volLage
level for "#$% sLaLe
- 8eslsLor Lo vCC rlses Lhe uC volLage
level for &'( sLaLe
1heven|n term|nat|on (at rece|ver)

age 20 of 76

drlve low-value reslsLors)
- Lowers Lhe uC volLage level for "#$%
sLaLe and rlses Lhe uC volLage level for
&'( sLaLe, half as much as parallel
LermlnaLlon

AC term|nat|on (at rece|ver)

- Pas no effecL on Lhe drlver currenL and
uC volLage levels
- lncreases Lhe rlse Llme aL Lhe recelver
end (use wlLh cauLlon!)

llg. 4.8 Slngle ended LermlnaLlon Lechnlques

Serles LermlnaLlons requlre Lhe reslsLor Lo be connecLed physlcally as close as posslble
Lo Lhe drlver, and parallel LermlnaLlons requlre Lhe reslsLors / capaclLor Lo be connecLed as close
as posslble Lo Lhe recelver.

2.3.2 D|fferent|a| 1erm|nat|ons
!usL llke slngle ended slgnals, dlfferenLlal slgnals musL see" a dlfferenLlal lmpedance
consLanL along Lhe Lransmlsslon llne, whlch means LhaL drlver ouLpuL lmpedance should be
equal Lo Lhe dlfferenLlal palr lmpedance and Lo Lhe recelver lnpuL lmpedance. 1he common
LermlnaLlon Lechnlques used for dlfferenLlal palrs are presenLed ln flg. 4.9

Ser|es term|nat|on (at dr|ver)

_
2
OUT diff diff
S
Z Z
R

=
- Avolds slgnal dlsLorLlon aL recelver
- uoesn'L ellmlnaLe Lhe flrsL reflecLlon
aL Lhe recelver (poLenLlal radlaLlon
problems)
- Pas no effecL on Lhe drlver currenL
and uC volLage levels

- MosL common recelver LermlnaLlon
- LllmlnaLes all Lhe reflecLlons of Lhe
dlfferenLlal slgnal
- uoes noL ellmlnaLe Lhe reflecLlons of
Lhe common mode slgnal (poLenLlal

age 21 of 76
P diff
R Z =
radlaLlon problems)
drlve a low-value reslsLor)
AC term|nat|on (at rece|ver)

; 2
P diff RC P P P
R Z R C t t = = <
- Slmllar Lo parallel LermlnaLlon buL
wlLhouL Lhe addlLlonal drlver uC
currenL
- lncreases Lhe rlse Llme aL Lhe recelver
end (use wlLh cauLlon!)

"I" 1erm|nat|on (at rece|ver)

1 2
2
;
even odd
P even P
even odd
Z Z
R Z R
Z Z

= =

- 1ermlnaLes boLh common end and
dlfferenLlal slgnals
- Assures a valld lnpuL sLaLe aL Lhe
recelver when drlver ls ln PlghZ

"1" 1erm|nat|on (at rece|ver)

1 2
;
2
even odd
P odd P
Z Z
R Z R

= =
- 1ermlnaLes boLh common end and
- 8equlres an addlLlonal volLage source
for dlfferenLlal slgnals wlLh common
mode offseL (some dlfferenLlal
recelvers mlghL have an lnLernal
regulaLor Lo provlde common mode
volLage ouLslde Lhe chlp, lf Lhls ls Lhe
case Lhen use lL!)
llg. 4.9 ulfferenLlal LermlnaLlon Lechnlques

!usL llke for slngle ended slgnals, serles LermlnaLlons requlre Lhe reslsLors Lo be
connecLed physlcally as close as posslble Lo Lhe drlver, and parallel, l and 1 LermlnaLlons
requlre Lhe reslsLors / capaclLor Lo be connecLed as close as posslble Lo Lhe recelver.

age 22 of 76
2.4 |acement

2.4.1 art|t|on|ng

1he schemaLlc of almosL any elecLronlc appllcaLlon ls a concaLenaLlon of funcLlonal
blocks. lL ls essenLlal LhaL Lhose blocks are correcLly ldenLlfled and LhaL Lhe componenLs wlLhln
each block are grouped LogeLher on Lhe C8, ln order Lo mlnlmlze crossLalk and reduce
lnLerconnecLlons lengLh. MosL slgnal lnLegrlLy problems assoclaLed wlLh hlgh speed slgnals can
be addressed by propped componenL placemenL.
rlor Lo deLalled placemenL and rouLlng, Lhe schemaLlc should be parLlLloned lnLo
funcLlonal blocks. lurLhermore, Lo ease Lhe nexL sLep of zonlng, Lhe funcLlonal blocks should be
classlfled accordlng Lo Lhe speclflclLy of Lhe slgnals conLalned.

C|ass Descr|pt|on
Supply ower supply clrculLry (converLers, regulaLors, fllLers). 1he decoupllng capaclLors
should noL be lncludes ln Lhe supply blocks
Analog Low level analog slgnal processlng blocks
ulglLal ulglLal processlng blocks
ower Plgh volLage and / or hlgh currenL blocks.
8l 8adlo frequency communlcaLlon blocks

2.4.2 2on|ng

Cnce Lhe sysLem ls parLlLloned lnLo funcLlonal blocks, each should be asslgned a dlsLlncL
physlcal locaLlon on Lhe C8. 1hls operaLlon ls called zonlng" or floor-plannlng". A drafL
placemenL should be made ln order Lo esLlmaLe Lhe space necessary for each block.
1he zonlng should Lend Lo mlnlmlze Lhe lengLh of Lhe lnLerconnecLlons beLween blocks
and also Lhe elecLromagneLlc coupllng beLween Lhem. Coupllng can be caused elLher by
elecLromagneLlc flelds lnLerference, whlch can be mlnlmlzed by physlcally placlng Lhe blocks as
far aparL as posslble, elLher by common lmpedance, whlch ls caused by reLurn currenLs followlng
Lhe same physlcal paLh. Slnce all currenLs reLurn Lo Lhe power supply, Lhe common reLurn
beLween each block class should be made as shorL as posslble. 1hls requlres Lhe mosL
aggresslve" blocks (8l, ower, ulglLal) Lo be placed closer Lo Lhe Supply and Lhe mosL senslLlve
blocks (Analog) Lo be placed farLher Lo Lhe Supply. lf posslble, hlghly aggresslve" blocks (8l)
should be lsolaLed from Lhe maln clrculLry ln order Lo compleLely avold a common reLurn paLh.
llgure 4.10 presenLs a recommended zonlng for an appllcaLlon wlLh several funcLlonal
blocks.

8|ock p|acement ru|e
- R/$ .+-.2+, #/(2'< )$ 0%-,+,+(6$< +6,( *26.,+(6%' )'(.5# %6< $%./ )'(.5
#/(2'< /%7$ % -$#,-+.,$< U(6$ %##+&6$< (6 ,/$ :BK
8|ock p|acement h|nt
- R/$ @(#, V%&&-$##+7$W )'(.5# #/(2'< )$ 0'%.$< .'(#$#, ,( ,/$ #200'3

age 23 of 76

llg. 4.10 8ecommended zonlng for varlous funcLlonal blocks

2.4.3 Ana|og 8uffers

lL ls a common pracLlce Lo carry Lhe analog slgnals generaLed ouLslde Lhe appllcaLlon
C8, such as Lhose comlng from sensors, Lhrough analog buffers (repeaLers). 1hls can have
beneflclal effecLs on Lhe lnLegrlLy of Lhe analog slgnals because Lhe buffers wlll drlve Lhe C8
Lraces wlLh a low lmpedance source, whlch wlll reduce Lhelr suscepLlblllLy Lo crossLalk nolse
caused by capaclLlve coupllng. ln order Lo beneflL from Lhls advanLage, lL ls essenLlal LhaL analog
buffers are placed as close as posslble Lo Lhe C8 enLry polnL of Lhe analog slgnals.
lf posslble, Lhe analog blocks should be placed close Lo Lhe analog slgnal connecLors Lo
mlnlmlze Lhe lnLerconnecLlons lengLh. Powever, slnce connecLor placemenL ls usually
deLermlned by mechanlcal requlremenLs, Lhls mlghL noL be posslble. lf Lhls ls Lhe case Lhen Lhe
analog buffers should noL be consldered parL of Lhe analog processlng block buL assoclaLed wlLh
Lhe slgnal connecLors. llgure 4.11 presenLs Lhe recommended placemenL of analog buffers for
such a slLuaLlon.

llg. 4.11 8ecommended placemenL of analog buffers

age 24 of 76
2.S kout|ng

2.S.1 1opo|ogy

Plgh speed slgnals LhaL musL lnLerconnecL mulLlple lCs may be rouLed ln one of Lhe
Lopologles lllusLraLed by flg. 4.12. 1hls ls ofLen Lhe case for clock and conLrol slgnals, buL may
also apply Lo daLa busses or analog slgnals. Lach Lopology has advanLages and dlsadvanLages
and musL allow an opLlmal compromlse beLween slgnal lnLegrlLy and geomeLrlcal consLralnLs.
noLe LhaL for slgnals LhaL don'L quallfy as hlgh speed", Lhe Lopology ls largely lrrelevanL.

o|nt to po|nt

- 1hls can only be applled lf all lCs can be
grouped lnLo [usL Lwo blocks and Lhe
connecLlons beLween proxlmaLe lCs can be
kepL well below Lhe crlLlcal lengLh
- 1he lnLerconnecLlon behaves llke a slmple
lnLerconnecLlon beLween Lwo lCs
- rovldes besL resulLs from Lhe slgnal lnLegrlLy
polnL of vlew buL ls very demandlng ln Lerms
n|nt on rout|ng topo|ogy
- R/+65 ,1+.$ )$*(-$ <$.+<+6& (6 % )2# ,(0('(&3 %6< <$#+&6+6& +,4 "#$ %
,-%6#@+##+(6 '+6$ #+@2'%,(- *(- % ,/(-(2&/ +67$#,+&%,+(6E %# $%./
-(2,+6& <$,%+' +# +@0(-,%6,
n|nt on rout|ng buses
- X$$0 ,/$ )2#$# %# 1+<$ %# 0-%.,+.%' %6< /+<<$6 *-(@ ,/$ -$#, (* ,/$
1(-'<
A ru|e of thumb for corners
- YMZ .(-6$-# #/(2'< )$ %7(+<$< *(- HO #+&6%'# %6< <+&+,%' #+&6%'# 1+,/
-+#$ ,+@$# #@%''$- ,/%6 M4L [6#\
n|nt on v|as
- ]7(+< 2#+6& :RN 7+%# *(- /+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'# %6< 5$$0 ,/$+- 62@)$- ,( %
@+6+@2@
ku|es of d|fferent|a| rout|ng
H(2,$ <+**$-$6,+%' 0%+-# +6 ,/+# (-<$-^
L4 S+,/ $J2%'+U$< 0-(0%&%,+(6 ,+@$
_4 F3@@$,-+.%'
Q4 R+&/,'3 .(20'$<
T4 N(@(&$6$(2#
ku|e of thumb for board edge
- ]7(+< -(2,+6& /+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'# .'(#$- ,( LMN ,( ,/$ $<&$ (* ,/$
)(%-<4

age 23 of 76
of rouLlng
"1"

- 1hls Lopology derlves from Lhe polnL-Lo-polnL
Lopology lf Lhe connecLlons beLween
proxlmaLe lCs cannoL be kepL below 1/10 of
Lhe crlLlcal lengLh
- lL provldes good resulLs for unldlrecLlonal
slgnals, wlLh Lhe drlver locaLed aL Lhe lefL.
- 1he lnLerconnecLlons lengLh beLween Lhe 1
[uncLlon and Lhe recelver lCs should be closely
maLched, oLherwlse Lhe [uncLlon polnL wlll
lnLroduce an lmpedance dlsconLlnulLy
- Can provlde equallzed propagaLlon Llmes
- Lach recelver needs LermlnaLlon
- 1he arms of Lhe 1" should have Lwlce Lhe
characLerlsLlc lmpedance of Lhe body
Da|sy Cha|n

- 1hls Lopology ls common for Lhe mulLl-drop
daLa busses
- 1he sLubs should be much shorLer Lhan Lhe
crlLlcal lengLh, oLherwlse Lhey wlll lnLroduce
lmpedance dlsconLlnulLles
- 1he paraslLlc of each lC along Lhe chaln
(package & pad capaclLance) wlll lnLroduce a
small lmpedance dlsconLlnulLy. 1hose effecLs
cumulaLes, so Lhe larger Lhe number of lCs Lhe
worse slgnal degradaLlon should be expecLed.
- Cnly Lhe flrsL or lasL lCs ln Lhe chaln requlre
LermlnaLlons
Star

- 1hls Lopology should be consldered for
unldlrecLlonal slgnals when Lhe propagaLlon
Llme maLchlng ls crlLlcal
- 1he drlver should be locaLed ln Lhe mlddle and
all Lhe recelvers lnLerconnecLed wlLh Lraces
havlng exacLly Lhe same propagaLlon Llme
- Lach recelver should be LermlnaLed ldenLlcally
- use wlLh cauLlon as any unbalance beLween
drlver-recelver connecLlons can have
deLrlmenLal effecLs on Lhe slgnal lnLegrlLy
llg. 4.12 8ouLlng Lopologles

upon decldlng on a rouLlng Lopology, a Lhorough lnvesLlgaLlon of Lhe parLlcularlLles of
Lhe lCs should be done. useful lnformaLlon can be usually found ln Lhe lC's daLasheeL and
appllcaLlon noLes. lf avallable, a Lransmlsslon llne slmulaLor such as PyperLynx (and approprlaLe
l8lS models) should be employed Lo provlde a numerlcal predlcLlon before decldlng on a speclflc
Lopology.

age 26 of 76
2.S.2 8us kout|ng

8uses pose speclal slgnal lnLegrlLy problems because Lhey requlre a large number of
Lraces Lo be rouLed ln parallel for a long dlsLance and also because Lhey usually swlLch aL Lhe
same Llme. LxpecL Lhe worsL from buses, as mulLlple problems are llkely Lo occur aL Lhe same
Llme. 8esldes Lopology (covered ln paragraph 4.3.1) and Llmlng (covered ln paragraph 4.7)
lssues, some of Lhe slgnal lnLegrlLy problems relaLed Lo busses are:

- A@0$<%6.$ 7%-+%,+(6#: when Lwo Lraces are rouLed ln parallel for a long dlsLance Lhey
wlll be elecLromagneLlcally coupled Lhrough a muLual lnducLance and a muLual
capaclLance. When Lwo slgnals Lravel ln Lhe same dlrecLlon Lhrough Lhose llnes (boLh
slgnals swlLch from 0 Lo 1 or from 1 Lo 0), Lhe coupllng wlll modlfy Lhe characLerlsLlc
lmpedance of each Lrace Lo Lhe even mode lmpedance, whlch ls larger Lhan Lhe un-
coupled characLerlsLlc lmpedance. When Lwo slgnals Lravel ln opposlLe dlrecLlons
Lhrough Lhose llnes (one slgnal swlLches from 0 Lo 1 and Lhe oLher from 1 Lo 0), Lhe
coupllng wlll modlfy Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of each Lrace Lo Lhe odd mode
lmpedance, whlch ls smaller Lhan Lhe un-coupled characLerlsLlc lmpedance. As a resulL,
Lhe lmpedance of each Lrace wlll noL be consLanL ln Llme buL wlll vary accordlng Lo Lhe
swlLchlng of Lhe ad[acenL slgnals. 1hls lmpedance varlaLlon geLs larger as Lhe Lraces are
more closely spaced and wlll cause slgnal reflecLlons due Lo dlsconLlnulLles. llgure 4.13
lllusLraLes Lhe lmpedance varlaLlon of Lwo 60 [U] mlcrosLrlp Lraces wlLh Lhelr clearance.
ln order Lo mlnlmlze Lhe reflecLlon nolse caused by lmpedance varlaLlon Lhe bus
clearance should be as large as pracLlcal.

llg. 4.13 lmpedance varlaLlon caused by coupllng beLween bus Lraces

- F5$1: lf all bus llnes don'L have exacLly Lhe same propagaLlon Llme Lhen varlous slgnals
wlll arrlve aL Lhe recelver wlLh varlous delays, an effecL called skew". Lven lf all Lhe
Lraces have exacLly Lhe same lengLh, Lhe coupllng beLween mlcrosLrlp Lraces wlll affecL
Lhe propagaLlon delays ln Lhe same way as Lhe lmpedance, so a cerLaln amounL of skew

age 27 of 76
should be expecLed. lor a numerlcal predlcLlon of Lhe skew caused by coupllng beLween
bus llnes, a fleld solver such as PyperLynx should be used. lease noLe LhaL sLrlpllne
Lraces do noL exhlblL skew due Lo coupllng as Lhe odd mode and even mode propagaLlon
speeds are ldenLlcal. llgure 4.14 lllusLraLes Lhe propagaLlon Llme varlaLlon of Lwo 60 [U]
mlcrosLrlp Lraces wlLh Lhelr clearance. ln order Lo mlnlmlze Lhe skew caused by
propagaLlon Llme varlaLlon Lhe bus clearance should be as large as pracLlcal.

llg. 4.14 uelay varlaLlon caused by coupllng beLween bus Lraces

- B-(##,%'5: when a slgnal swlLches lL wlll lnduce a small amounL of nolse lnLo nearby
Lraces doe Lo capaclLlve and lnducLlve coupllng (for deLalls see paragraph 4.6 on
crossLalk). When several slgnal swlLch slmulLaneously, Lhe crossLalk effecL ls mulLlplled
and a large amounL of nolse can be lnduced lnLo nearby Lraces. 8uses are very
aggresslve" wlLh respecL Lo crossLalk and should be kepL as far as pracLlcal from oLher
slgnals, especlally senslLlve ones (analog). 1he crossLalk effecL ls lower beLween sLrlpllne
Lraces Lhan mlcrosLrlp, so lL ls hlghly recommended Lo rouLe Lhe buses on a sLrlpllne
layer.

- H%<+%,+(6: when a slgnal swlLches lL wlll radlaLe an elecLromagneLlc fleld ln Lhe
surroundlng envlronmenL (for deLalls see chapLer 7 on LMC). When several slgnal swlLch
slmulLaneously, Lhe radlaLlon effecL ls mulLlplled and mlghL exceed LMC regulaLlons. 1he
radlaLlon can be mlnlmlzed by reduclng Lhe bus lengLh, shleldlng beLween reference
planes and reduclng Lhe slgnal rlse Llme. 1o keep Lhe radlaLlon Lo a mlnlmum, rouLe Lhe
buses as shorL as posslble on a sLrlpllne layer, LermlnaLe all llnes and, lf necessary and
posslble, reduce Lhe slgnal rlse Llme uslng fllLers.

age 28 of 76
2.S.3 Corners

Corners rouLed aL 90 wlll lnLroduce small lmpedance dlsconLlnulLles because aL Lhe
corner locaLlon Lhe Lrace wldLh wlll be larger Lhan on Lhe sLralghL Lrace. 1hls wlll cause a
locallzed lncrease of Lhe characLerlsLlc capaclLance of Lhe Lrace, hence a decrease of Lhe
characLerlsLlc lmpedance. 1o avold Lhls effecL, lL ls a good pracLlce Lo avold rouLlng wlLh 90
angles and Lo use lnsLead 43 or rounded corners. llgure 4.13 lllusLraLes Lhe Lhree posslble
corner geomeLrles.

Avo|d
referred
Cpt|mum
llg. 4.13 Corner geomeLrles

lL should be noLed LhaL alLhough Lhe prevlous conslderaLlons are ln Lheory correcL, ln pracLlce
Lhe corners effecL ls lnslgnlflcanL unless Lhe slgnal has very small rlse Llme. As a rule of Lhumb,
precauLlons regardlng corners should be Laken when operaLlng wlLh rlse Llmes smaller Lhan 0.1
[ns] or wlLh radlofrequency slgnals.

2.S.4 V|as

Slgnal vlas LhaL peneLraLe reference planes should be regarded as lmpedance
dlsconLlnulLles because of Lhe capaclLance creaLed beLween Lhe copped barrel and Lhe planes.
vla capaclLance lncreases wlLh Lhe helghL of Lhe board, Lhe hole slze and Lhe number of
reference planes peneLraLed, so largesL capaclLances should be expecLed for large 1P vlas.
1yplcal vla capaclLances are below Lhe [pl] range, so Lhelr effecL ls usually small. Powever, slnce
Lhe reflecLlon nolse accumulaLes, Lraces wlLh large number of vlas carrylng hlgh speed slgnals
may pose slgnal lnLegrlLy problems. 1o avold Lhem, use Lhe leasL posslble vlas, make Lhem small
and allow a large clearance Lo reference planes. lor a numerlc predlcLlon on Lhe vlas effecL on a
parLlcular slgnal, use a fleld solver comblned wlLh a Lransmlsslon llne slmulaLor.

2.S.S D|fferent|a| kout|ng

ulfferenLlal slgnals requlre some rouLlng precauLlons ln order Lo beneflL of Lhe
advanLage of common mode nolse suppresslon. 1hose requlremenLs can be ordered as follows:

8+9 `J2%'+U$< 0-(0%&%,+(6 ,+@$
A dlfference ln Lhe propagaLlon Llme of Lhe dlfferenLlal slgnals (skew) wlll puL Lhe
recelver ln an undeLermlned sLaLe for Lhe Llme lnLerval beLween Lhe arrlval of Lhe fasLesL and
slowesL slgnals. llgure 4.16 lllusLraLes Lhls effecL for a dlfferenLlal palr wlLh a common mode
volLage of 1 [v] and a dlfferenLlal volLage of 2 [v]. When Lhe recelver has a 0 [v] dlfferenLlal
volLage aL lLs lnpuLs lL wlll be ln an undeLermlned sLaLe. 1hls slLuaLlon should be avolded and lf
necessary Lhe lengLh of Lhe fasLesL Lrace should be lncreased uslng serpenLlne rouLlng, as
lllusLraLed by flgure 4.16, ln order Lo equallze Lhe propagaLlon Llmes of Lhe Lwo Lraces. lease

age 29 of 76
noLe LhaL as Lhe characLerlsLlc propagaLlon Llme may vary from one layer Lo anoLher, lL mlghL
noL be enough Lo equallze Lhe lengLhs ln order Lo equallze Lhe propagaLlon Llmes. lL ls
recommended LhaL Lhe Lraces of a dlfferenLlal palr wlll have Lhe same lengLh on each layer used
for Lhelr rouLlng.

(a)
(b)
llg. 4.16 (a) undeLermlned sLaLe aL Lhe recelver caused by skew (b) SerpenLlne rouLlng

8++9 F3@@$,-3
1o suppress Lhe nolse, boLh Lraces of a dlfferenLlal palr should be equally affecLed by
any posslble nolse source, such LhaL any nolse would manlfesL as dlfferenLlal. 1o prevenL
crossLalk nolse Lo acL as common mode nolse, Lhe dlfferenLlal palr should be rouLed
symmeLrlcally wlLh respecL Lo any posslble aggressor" slgnal. When an obsLacle such as a vla or
lC pln musL be deLoured, Lhe Lwo Lraces should deLour on boLh sldes ln order Lo avold any
poLenLlal crossLalk from Lhe obsLacle Lo affecL one Lrace more Lhan anoLher. llgure 4.17
lllusLraLes Lhe recommended deLourlng of obsLacles for dlfferenLlal palrs.

llg. 4.17 ulfferenLlal palr deLourlng of obsLacles

8+++9 R+&/, .(20'+6&
1he characLerlsLlc lmpedance of each Lrace ls lnfluenced by Lhe coupllng wlLh ad[acenL
Lraces. Slnce Lhe coupllng of a dlfferenLlal Lrace wlLh lLs palr ls always odd mode coupllng, Lhls
allows a preclse conLrol of Lhe dlfferenLlal lmpedance. Powever, coupllng wlLh ad[acenL Lraces
may also affecL Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance of each dlfferenLlal Lrace, hence Lhe dlfferenLlal
lmpedance. Slnce coupllng wlLh ad[acenL Lraces may elLher odd or even dependlng on Lhe
operaLlng condlLlons, Lhls wlll cause varlaLlons ln Llme of Lhe dlfferenLlal lmpedance. 1o
mlnlmlze Lhls effecL, dlfferenLlal Lraces should by LlghLly coupled (have a small clearance)
beLween Lhem and loosely coupled (have a large clearance) wlLh oLher Lraces.
lurLhermore, LlghL coupllng means LhaL any nolse LhaL affecLs a slngle Lrace of Lhe palr
wlll be also coupled Lo Lhe oLher Lrace, Lransformlng dlfferenLlal nolse lnLo common mode nolse,
whlch ls suppressed. 1lghL coupllng alds symmeLry.

age 30 of 76

8+79 N(@(&$6$+,3
1o avold nolse caused by reflecLlons, Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedances of each Lrace of a
dlfferenLlal palr should be kepL consLanL across lLs enLlre lengLh, by keeplng Lhe wldLh and
clearance consLanL on each rouLlng layer. Powever, Lhls ls Lhe leasL sLrlngenL requlremenL as
reflecLlon nolse caused by Lrace heLerogenelLy has less deLrlmenLal effecLs on slgnal lnLegrlLy
Lhan Lhe nolse caused by skew, asymmeLry or loose coupllng. 1he recommended rouLlng
geomeLrles lllusLraLed by flg. 4.16 and 4.17 are boLh heLerogeneous.

2.S.6 rox|m|ty to 8oard Ldge

near Lhe board edge Lhe elecLrlc flelds wlll close parLly Lhrough Lhe dlelecLrlc and parLly
Lo Lhe alr surroundlng Lhe board. 1here are Lwo concerns regardlng proxlmlLy Lo board edge:
8+9 N+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'#
C8 Lraces slgnals rouLed close Lo Lhe board edge wlll have a dlfferenL characLerlsLlc
lmpedance and propagaLlon Llme Lhan Lraces rouLed lnslde Lhe C8. lL ls recommended Lo avold
rouLlng hlgh speed slgnals closer Lo 10P Lo Lhe edge of Lhe board, P belng Lhe dlsLance beLween
Lhe slgnal layer and Lhe farLhermosL reference plane.
8++9 :(1$- 0'%6$#
AL Lhe edge of Lhe board Lhe vCC-Cnu palr of planes wlll radlaLe elecLromagneLlc flelds
hlgher Lhan lf Lhe flelds were compleLely conLalned by Lhe C8 dlelecLrlc. A rule of Lhumb, called
1he 20-P rule", recommend LhaL Lhe vCC plane should be smaller Lhan Lhe Cnu plane wlLh
20P on each slde of Lhe board, ln order Lo reduce elecLromagneLlc radlaLlon. 1hls rule ls
lllusLraLed by flg. 4.18

llg. 4.18 1he 20P rule

LxperlmenLal measuremenLs suggesL LhaL Lhe effecLs of Lhe 20-P rule on Lhe far fleld
radlaLed by Lhe C8 are pracLlcally null (see for lnsLance
hLLp://www.slgrlLy.com/papers/epep2000/epep_20h.pdf). 1he 20-P rule only seems effecLlve Lo
reduce Lhe elecLromagneLlc coupllng beLween Lhe C8 and cables rouLed close Lo Lhe board
edge, so lL ls recommended Lo be applled only ln Lhls slLuaLlon.

age 31 of 76
2.6 S|gna| 1|m|ng

2.6.1 Ident|fy|ng t|me-cr|t|ca| s|gna|s

Plgh speed slgnals are affecLed by reflecLlon and crossLalk nolse on each rlslng and
falllng edge, whlch wlll cause Lhe slgnal Lo fly" a cerLaln Llme lnLerval before sLablllzlng aL Lhe
uC value. llgure 4.19 lllusLraLes Lhese phenomena for a rlslng edge.

llg. 4.19 ulsLorLlon of a rlslng edge due Lo reflecLlons and crossLalk

1he fllghL Llme ls deLermlned by Lhe followlng parameLers:
- 8lse Llme of Lhe slgnal
- CuLpuL lmpedance of Lhe drlver
- CapaclLlve loadlng of Lhe llne due Lo Lhe C8 Lrace capaclLance
- CapaclLlve loadlng of Lhe llne due Lo recelver lCs package and lnpuL capaclLance
- ropagaLlon Llme of Lhe C8 Lrace
ku|e of thumb for t|me-cr|t|ca| s|gna|s
- N+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'# 1+,/ 0-(0%&%,+(6 ,+@$ &-$%,$- ,/%6 L;LM (* ,/$ .'(.5
0$-+(< #/(2'< )$ -$&%-<$< %# ,+@$D.-+,+.%' #+&6%'#4
n|nt on t|m|ng
- ]'1%3# 0$-*(-@ %6 $3$ <+%&-%@ %6%'3#+# (* ,+@$D.-+,+.%' #+&6%'#

age 32 of 76

lf Lhe Llme avallable for Lhe slgnal Lo reach lLs uC value ls much larger Lhan Lhe fllghL
Llme, Lhen Lhls mlghL noL be an lssue. lf, on Lhe oLher hand, Lhose are comparable, Lhen Lhe
slgnal should be regarded as a Llme-crlLlcal slgnal.
lL ls noL easy Lo accuraLely predlcL Lhe fllghL Llme of a slgnal, as lL depends on many
parLlcular parameLers of Lhe C8 and lCs. 1hls can only be accompllshed uslng an
elecLromagneLlc fleld solver and a Lransmlsslon llne slmulaLor able Lo operaLe wlLh l8lS models.
A rule of Lhumb commonly found ln llLeraLure sLaLes LhaL lf a slgnal has a propagaLlon
Llme more Lhan half Lhe clock perlod assoclaLed wlLh LhaL slgnal, Lhen lL should be regarded as a
Llme-crlLlcal slgnal. lf one Lrles Lo apply Lhls rule ln pracLlce, one mlghL flnd LhaL lL ls far Loo
permlsslve: slgnals may become Llme-crlLlcal aL much shorLer propagaLlon Llmes. lL ls so
recommended LhaL slgnals wlLh propagaLlon Llmes greaLer Lhan 1/10 of Lhe clock perlod should
be regarded as Llme-crlLlcal slgnals.

2.6.2 ropagat|on t|me

Cne of Lhe maln componenLs of Llmlng analysls of hlgh speed slgnals ls Lhe propagaLlon
Llme. 1hls ls deLermlned by Lhe C8 Lrace lengLh and Lhe layer sLackup.
1he propagaLlon speed of a slgnal ls deLermlned by Lhe properLles of Lhe dlelecLrlc
surroundlng Lhe conducLor. lor sLrlpllne rouLlng layers Lhe elecLrlc and magneLlc flelds are
compleLely conflned lnslde Lhe dlelecLrlc, whlch makes Lhe propagaLlon speed consLanL:
11.8
stripline
r
inch
v
ns c
(
=
(

(4.8)
lor sLrlpllne layers ln l8-4, Lhe propagaLlon Llme ls deLermlned only by Lhe Lrace lengLh:
_ 4
0.18 7
stripline FR
ns ps
tp
inch mm
( (
~ ~
( (

(4.9)
lor mlcrosLrlp rouLlng layers Lhe elecLrlc and magneLlc flelds are noL compleLely
conflned lnslde Lhe dlelecLrlc, whlch make Lhe propagaLlon speed Lo vary wlLh Lhe dlsLance Lo
Lhe reference plane and Lrace wldLh. 1hose varlaLlons are however small, so an esLlmaLlon of Lhe
propagaLlon speed ln mlcrosLrlp layers ls posslble uslng Lhe equaLlon:
11.8
0.475 0.67
microstrip
r
inch
v
ns c
(
=
(
+
(4.10)
lor mlcrosLrlp layers ln l8-4, Lhe propagaLlon Llme ls almosL consLanL:
_ 4
0.142 5.6
microstrip FR
ns ps
tp
inch mm
( (
~ ~
( (

(4.11)

2.6.3 Lye d|agram ana|ys|s

age 33 of 76

1lme-crlLlcal slgnals requlre a Lhorough analysls of Lhe relaLlon beLween Lhe fllghL Llme
and clock perlod. Whlle Lhe clock perlod ls (almosL) consLanL, Lhe fllghL Llme varles wlLh Lhe
operaLlng condlLlons such as Lhe swlLchlng paLLern and prevlous slgnal sLaLes. 1he fllghL Llme
cannoL be accuraLely predlcLed uslng closed-form equaLlons, so a more complex lnvesLlgaLlon
Lool musL be employed. 1hls ls Lhe eye dlagram analysls, whlch can be done prlor Lo layouL
deslgn, uslng a Lransmlsslon llne slmulaLor, or afLer Lhe layouL deslgn, uslng a Lransmlsslon llne
slmulaLor lnLegraLed wlLh a fleld solver or Lhrough experlmenLal measuremenLs.
1he eye dlagram presenLs Lhe waveforms of a Llme-crlLlcal slgnal measured aL Lhe
recelver agalnsL a mask LhaL deflnes Lhe forbldden zones, whlch Lhe slgnal should never
Lrespass. MulLlple slgnal perlods are superlmposed on Lhe same mask ln order Lo Lake lnLo
accounL varlous operaLlng condlLlons. llgure 4.20 lllusLraLes Lhe eye dlagram.

llg. 4.20 Lye dlagram

1he eye dlagram mask parameLers are:
- 1
CLk
= clock perlod
- 1
SkLW
= Lhe dlfference beLween Lhe clock and daLa propagaLlon Llme
- 1
!l11L8
= clock + daLa [lLLer (peak-Lo-peak)
- 1
SL1u
, 1
PCLu
= seLup and hold Llmes of Lhe recelver lC
- v
l_mln
, v
l_max
= mlnlmum and maxlmum volLage levels allowed aL Lhe recelver lnpuL
- v
lL_max
= maxlmum volLage level aL Lhe recelver lnpuL ln Lhe LCW sLaLe
- v
lP_mln
= mlnlmum volLage level aL Lhe recelver lnpuL ln Lhe PlCP sLaLe

An eye dlagram analysls should always be performed for crlLlcal slgnals ln order Lo avold
spurlous faulLs durlng operaLlon.

2.7 Csc|||ators ] Crysta|s

CrlsLal osclllaLors are low-power clrculLs LhaL are especlally senslLlve Lo perLurbaLlons.
MosL such osclllaLors use an exLernal crysLal and an lnLernal ampllfler, whlch requlres Lhe
crysLal-ampllfler connecLlons Lo be rouLed wlLh speclal precauLlon. 1hose are low ampllLude

age 34 of 76
analog slgnals generaLed by a hlgh lmpedance source, so Lhey flL perfecLly lnLo Lhe deflnlLlon of
a poLenLlal vlcLlm Lo crossLalk.
1he followlng recommendaLlons should be followed when placlng / rouLlng crysLal
osclllaLors:
(l) lace Lhe crysLal and Lhe load capaclLors as close as posslble Lo Lhe lC osclllaLor plns of
Lhe lC
(ll) 8ouLe Lhe crysLal - capaclLors - lC connecLlons as shorL as posslble
(lll) 8ouLe Lhe crysLal - capaclLors - lC connecLlons as far aparL as pracLlcal from each oLher
and Lhe ground Lraces
(lv) 8ouLe Lhe ground dlrecLly Lo Lhe Cnu pln of Lhe lC and only Lhere Lo Lhe ground of Lhe
resL of Lhe clrculL (osclllaLor slgnals should noL share Lhe reLurn paLh wlLh oLher slgnals)
(v) Cround Lhe crysLal houslng and rouLe a ground loop around Lhe osclllaLor clrculL
(vl) lf posslble provlde a reference plane beneaLh Lhe osclllaLor
(vll) uon'L rouLe any aggressor slgnals ln Lhe osclllaLor zone

llgure 4.21 presenLs an example of placemenL / rouLlng of a crysLal osclllaLor.

llg. 4.21 Lxample of placemenL / rouLlng of a crysLal osclllaLor

age 33 of 76
3. Crossta|k

3.1 Ident|fy|ng V|ct|ms and Aggressors

CrossLalk ls Lhe nolse coupled beLween ad[acenL conducLors Lhrough near elecLrlc fleld
(capaclLlve coupllng) and magneLlc fleld (lnducLlve coupllng). Whlle any ad[acenL conducLors
exhlblL crossLalk, lL ls especlally deLrlmenLal Lo slgnal lnLegrlLy when lL appears beLween
aggresslve and senslLlve slgnals.
Some slgnals are parLlcularly senslLlve Lo crossLalk, elLher because of Lhelr naLure or
Lhelr funcLlonal role ln Lhe clrculL. 1hose slgnals are poLenLlal 7+.,+@# Lo crossLalk. 1hose slgnals
are:
- Analog slgnals: Lhey are lnherenLly more senslLlve Lo nolse Lhan dlglLal slgnals, so Lhey
should always be regarded as poLenLlal vlcLlms, especlally lf Lhey have low ampllLudes.
- Plgh lmpedance conLrol slgnals: Lnable, reseL, osclllaLor and feedback slgnals are Lhe
Lype of conLrol slgnals LhaL should noL be dlsLurbed because of Lhelr effecL on Lhe
funcLlonallLy of Lhe clrculL. lf such slgnals are generaLed by a low lmpedance source,
such as a hlgh-value pullup / pulldown reslsLor or a crysLal osclllaLor, Lhey wlll be easlly
dlsLurbed by capaclLlve crossLalk. Such slgnals should be also regarded as poLenLlal
vlcLlms, especlally lf Lhey have low ampllLudes.

Cn Lhe oLher hand, some slgnals can easlly lnduce nolse on poLenLlal vlcLlms and are
consldered poLenLlal %&&-$##(-# wlLh respecL Lo crossLalk. 1o easlly ldenLlfy poLenLlal
aggressors, remember LhaL crossLalk ls caused by coupllng capaclLances and lnducLances
beLween C8 Lraces.
1he currenL ln[ecLed by a coupllng capaclLance lnLo a vlcLlm Lrace ls:
( )
_
_ _ _
C between traces
d
I C Potential difference between traces
dt
= (3.1)
1he volLage lnduced by a coupllng lnducLance on a vlcLlm Lrace ls:
( ) _ _
L mutual
d
V L Current through aggressor
dt
= (3.2)
8ased on Lhose conslderaLlons, Lhe poLenLlal aggressors ln a clrculL are:
- Slgnals wlLh hlgh ampllLude (elLher volLage or currenL)
- lasL slgnals (elLher ln Lerms of small rlse Llme or hlgh frequency)

Whlle crossLalk can never be compleLely avolded, Lhe maln Lask ln crossLalk conLrol ls Lo
avold lL Lo occur beLween poLenLlal vlcLlms and poLenLlal aggressors.
3.2 Layer Ass|gnment
ku|e of C|ass|f|cat|on for Crossta|k
- N+&/ %@0'+,2<$ a /+&/ *-$J2$6.3 a #@%'' -+#$ ,+@$ b ]&&-$##(-
- c(1 %@0'+,2<$ a /+&/ +@0$<%6.$ b d+.,+@
1he bas|c ru|e of m|n|m|z|ng crossta|k
- X$$0 %&&-$##(-# %6< 7+.,+@# %# *%- %0%-, %# 0(##+)'$ %6< .'(#$ ,( ,/$
&-(26<4

age 36 of 76

1he obvlous counLermeasure Lo crossLalk ls Lo keep aggressors and vlcLlms as far aparL
as posslble, Lo avold coupllng capaclLances and lnducLances. 1he flrsL sLep ln dolng so ls Lo avold
rouLlng aggressors and vlcLlms on Lhe same layer. lf enough rouLlng layers are avallable, a deslgn
rule should be lmposed Lo prevenL aggressors and vlcLlms Lo share Lhe same lnner layer. roper
sysLem parLlLlonlng and zonlng should make Lhls precauLlon unnecessary as aggressors and
slgnals should noL be rouLed ln proxlmlLy anyway, so layer asslgnmenL should be Laken lnLo
conslderaLlon whenever zonlng cannoL provlde compleLe separaLlon or Lhe appllcaLlon requlres
very aggresslve slgnals.
A reference plane beLween rouLlng layers wlll greaLly reduce Lhe crossLalk beLween
slgnals on Lhose layers, so lf posslble asslgn aggressors and vlcLlms Lo dlfferenL layers separaLed
by aL leasL a ground or supply plane.
noLe LhaL crossLalk on sLrlpllne layers ls smaller Lhan on mlcrosLrlp layers, so lf
aggressors and vlcLlms musL share Lhe same zone and same layer, lL should be a sLrlpllne layer.
Also noLe LhaL layers closer Lo a reference plane wlll exhlblL less crossLalk Lhan layers locaLed
farLher Lo reference planes, so lf crossLalk on Lhe same layer musL occur, lL ls beLLer Lo allow lL
on layers closer Lo planes.

3.3 Crthogona||ty
8ouLlng on each layer naLurally Lends Lo follow a slngle preferenLlal dlrecLlon, elLher
horlzonLal or verLlcal, because oLherwlse lnLersecLlons beLween Lraces wlll occur. 1hls ls a
pracLlce LhaL should be promoLed as lL may have beneflclal effecLs on crossLalk. 8y asslgnlng Lo
each rouLlng layer a slngle dlrecLlon and alLernaLe Lhe dlrecLlons of ad[acenL layers, boLh
capaclLlve and lnducLlve coupllng can be greaLly reduced. 1hls Lechnlque ls called orLhogonal
rouLlng" and ls lllusLraLed by flg. 3.1.

llg. 3.1 CrLhogonal rouLlng

When orLhogonallLy cannoL be applled or for Lhe layers wlLh Lhe same rouLlng dlrecLlon
LhaL are noL separaLed by a reference plane, crossLalk can also be reduced by sLaggerlng long
slgnal Lraces, as lllusLraLed by flg. 3.2.

llg. 3.2 SLaggered Lraces
3.4 ara||e||sm
n|nt on |ayer ass|gnment
- F,-+0'+6$ '%3$-# %-$ J2+$,$- ,/%6 @+.-(#,-+0 '%3$-#

age 37 of 76

lf rouLlng aggressors and vlcLlms on dlfferenL layers ls noL posslble, parallellsm
resLrlcLlons should be enforced. 1he amounL of crossLalk nolse beLween Lraces rouLed ln parallel
depends (among many oLher Lhlngs) on Lhe lengLh of Lhe parallel Lraces and clearance beLween
Lhem. 1he smaller Lhe clearance, Lhe larger Lhe lengLh LhaL Lraces are allowed Lo be rouLed ln
parallel for Lhe same amounL of crossLalk.
arallellsm beLween aggressors and vlcLlms should be avolded from Lhe flrsL place, buL lf
Lhls ls noL posslble Lhen coupllng should be carefully analyzed before enforclng a parallellsm
rule. As crossLalk depends noL [usL on Lhe parallellsm buL also on slgnal, lCs and C8
characLerlsLlcs, a fleld solver and a Lransmlsslon llnes slmulaLor should be used Lo predlcL Lhe
amounL of crossLalk nolse Lo be expecLed for each parLlcular case and Lo declde on approprlaLe
parallellsm resLrlcLlons.
A rule of Lhumb regardlng parallellsm ls called R/$ QS H2'$" and lL sLaLes LhaL ln order
Lo avold crossLalk beLween parallel Lraces rouLed on Lhe same layer, a mlnlmum spaclng
beLween Lraces cenLers of 3W should be kepL. llgure 3.3 lllusLraLes Lhe 3W rule.

llg. 3.3 Lhe 3W rule

Whlle crossLalk wlll be lndeed reduced by applylng Lhe 3W rule, Lhe acLual value ls of 3W
mlghL be expenslve ln Lerms of board space and mlghL noL be enough for very aggresslve
coupllngs. 1he 3W rule should be used only lf deLalled elecLromagneLlc lnvesLlgaLlons are noL
avallable.

3.S Guard|ng

An addlLlonal measure Lo reduce crossLalk beLween parallel Lraces rouLed on Lhe same
layer ls Lo separaLe Lhem uslng a Lrace connecLed aL boLh ends Lo ground, called &2%-< ,-%.$, as
lllusLraLed by flg. 3.4. lL ls essenLlal LhaL Lhe guard Lrace ls connecLed aL all ends Lo ground,
oLherwlse lL wlll behave llke an anLenna.

llg. 3.4 Cuardlng

LxperlmenLal lnvesLlgaLlons of Lhe guardlng Lechnlques suggesL LhaL by slmply
separaLlng Lhe vlcLlm Lo Lhe aggressor ln order Lo make room for Lhe guard Lrace, Lhe same
crossLalk reducLlon can be achleved even lf Lhe guard Lrace ls noL presenL (Lhls ls equlvalenL Lo a
4W parallellsm
rule !). Powever, a guard Lraces wlll also have beneflclal effecLs on Lhe elecLromagneLlc
lnLerference of Lhe Lrace wlLh Lhe surroundlng envlronmenL, so guardlng very aggresslve and
very senslLlve slgnals ls sLlll recommended.

age 38 of 76
noLlce LhaL guard Lraces wlll affecL Lhe characLerlsLlc lmpedance and propagaLlon Llme
of slgnal Lraces! lf applled Lo conLrolled lmpedance Lraces Lhose effecLs should be lnvesLlgaLed
uslng a fleld solver and Laken lnLo conslderaLlon!

3.6 keturn paths

All currenLs reLurn Lo Lhe source LhaL generaLed Lhem Lhrough Lhe ground connecLlon
(uC) and also Lhrough Lhe volLage supply connecLlon (AC). 1he reLurn paLh ls always Lhe paLh of
leasL lmpedance, whlch ln uC means ,leasL reslsLance" and ln AC means ,leasL lnducLance". 1he
reslsLance ls deLermlned malnly by Lhe wldLh of Lhe reLurn Lrace and Lhe lnducLance malnly by
Lhe slgnal-reference loop area. llgure 3.3 lllusLraLes Lhe reLurn paLhs ln AC and uC.

llg. 3.3 CurrenLs reLurn on Lhe paLh of leasL lmpedance

1he slgnal-reLurn loop should be kepL as small as posslble ln order Lo avold large self and
muLual lnducLances, whlch lncrease crossLalk. Speclal aLLenLlon Lo reLurn paLhs should be pald
for:
- Plgh speed slgnals: Lhe reLurn paLh should be kepL consLanL along hlgh speed Lraces ln
order Lo malnLaln Lhelr lmpedance consLanL
- oLenLlal aggressors and vlcLlms: Lhey should be rouLed close Lo Lhe reLurn paLh,
oLherwlse Lhe slgnal-reLurn loop wlll behave llke an anLenna, recelvlng and radlaLlng
elecLromagneLlc waves. Also aggressors and vlcLlms should noL share Lhe same reLurn
paLh !

n|nt on return paths
- B2--$6,# %'1%3# -$,2-6 (6 ,/$ 0%,/ (* '$%#, +@0$<%6.$4 X$$0 ,/$ -$,2-6 0%,/
.'(#$ ,( ,/$ #+&6%' 0%,/ %6< %7(+< %&&-$##(-# %6< 7+.,+@# #/%-+6& ,/$ #%@$
-$,2-6 0%,/4

age 39 of 76
3.7 kece|ver |acement

CrossLalk beLween hlgh speed slgnals has dlfferenL effecLs aL Lhe ends of Lhe vlcLlm
Lrace, because lL wlll noL behave as an equlpoLenLlal connecLlon buL as a Lransmlsslon llne. 1he
end of Lhe vlcLlm llne LhaL ls closer Lo Lhe aggressor drlver ls called Lhe near end" and nolse
measured here ls called I`eR (near Lnd CrossLalk"), whlle Lhe end of Lhe vlcLlm llne LhaL ls
farLher Lo Lhe aggressor drlver ls called Lhe far end" and nolse measured here ls called O`eR
(lar Lnd CrossLalk"). 1hls namlng convenLlon ls lllusLraLed by flg. 3.6.

llg. 3.6 near and far ends of Lhe vlcLlm llne

1he nLx1 nolse ls caused by capaclLlve and lnducLlve coupllng currenLs Lravellng ln Lhe
same dlrecLlon, whlle Lhe lLx1 nolse ls caused by capaclLlve and lnducLlve coupllng currenLs
Lravelllng ln opposlLe dlrecLlons. 1he nLx1 nolse wlll begln as soon as Lhe aggressor slgnal
swlLches, whlle Lhe lLx1 nolse wlll begln only afLer Lhe propagaLlon Llme of Lhe vlcLlm llne.
1ermlnaLlons aL Lhe ends of Lhe vlcLlm and aggressor llne also lnfluences how Lhe crossLalk wlll
manlfesL aL each end. llgure 3.7 summarlzes Lhe Lyplcal waveforms LhaL should be expecLed for
Lwo mlcrosLrlp coupled llnes when Lhe aggressor drlver launches a rlslng edge.

vlcLlm llne
LermlnaLed aL
boLh ends

- nLx1 duraLlon = Lwlce
Lhe propagaLlon Llme
- nLx1 ampllLude
doesn'L depend on
coupllng lengLh
- lLx1 ampllLude
proporLlonal Lo
coupllng lengLh
vlcLlm llne
LermlnaLed aL
near end only

- nLx1 pulse ls followed
by a pulse ldenLlcal Lo
Lhe lLx1 of a llne
LermlnaLed aL boLh
ends
- lLx1 ampllLude
doubles as compared
Lo a llne LermlnaLed aL
boLh ends
n|nt on rece|vers p|acement
- H$.$+7$- AB# '(.%,+(6 1+,/ -$#0$., ,( ,/$ %&&-$##(- <-+7$-# &-$%,'3 +6*'2$6.$#
/(1 ,/$3 %-$ %**$.,$< )3 .-(##,%'5 6(+#$4 ] ,/(-(2&/ +67$#,+&%,+(6 +#
-$J2+-$< +6 (-<$- ,( +<$6,+*3 ,/$ (0,+@2@ 0'%.$@$6,4

age 40 of 76

vlcLlm llne
LermlnaLed aL
far end only

- nLx1 pulse has half Lhe
value lL would have lf
Lhe llne was
LermlnaLed aL boLh
ends
- lLx1 ampllLude
doubles as compared
Lo a llne LermlnaLed aL
boLh ends
- lLx1 pulse ls followed
by a pulse ldenLlcal Lo
Lhe nLx1 of a llne
LermlnaLed aL boLh
ends, buL wlLh opposlLe
polarlLy
vlcLlm llne un-
LermlnaLed aL
boLh ends

- nLx1 pulse has half Lhe
value lL would have lf
Lhe llne was
LermlnaLed aL boLh
ends
- andemonlum aL Lhe
far end due Lo mulLlple
reflecLlons
llg. 3.7 1yplcal crossLalk nolse for mlcrosLrlp coupled llnes

llgure 3.8 lllusLraLes Lhe dependency of Lhe nLx1 and lLx1 nolse Lo Lhe coupllng lengLh,
for boLh mlcrosLrlp and sLrlpllne conflguraLlons when boLh Lhe aggressor and vlcLlm llnes are
LermlnaLed aL boLh ends.

age 41 of 76
MICkCS1kI

S1kILINL

llg. 3.8 CrossLalk nolse for LlghLly coupled parallel Lraces

Slnce Lhe capaclLlve and lnducLlve coupllng currenLs Lravelllng Lowards Lhe far end of Lhe
vlcLlm llne have opposlLe polarlLles, lLx1 nolse mlghL cancel lf Lhey are equal. 1hls ls Lhe case for
sLrlpllne Lraces, whlch do no exhlblL lLx1 nolse. noLe Lhough LhaL lf Lhe vlcLlm llne ls un-
LermlnaLed aL Lhe near end, Lhe far end wlll exhlblL nolse even ln sLrlpllne conflguraLlon due Lo
reflecLlons.
CrossLalk should noL be allowed Lo generaLe nolse aL Lhe lnpuL of slgnal recelvers, aL
leasL noL beyond Lhelr nolse margln. Slgnal drlvers on Lhe oLher hand are noL senslLlve Lo
crossLalk nolse, whlch ln general does noL reach ampllLudes hlgh enough Lo damage Lhe lC. lrom
Lhe prevlous conslderaLlons lL can be seen LhaL Lhe locaLlon of Lhe recelver clrculL wlLh respecL
Lo Lhe aggressor drlver, Lhe layer conflguraLlon and Lhe LermlnaLlon Lype greaLly lnfluences Lhe
way crossLalk wlll affecL Lhe recelver. lor polnL-Lo-polnL lnLerconnecLs Lhe opLlmum placemenL
of Lhe recelver can be deduced from a slmple analysls based on Lhe daLa presenLed ln flg. 3.7
and 3.8. lor mulLl-polnL lnLerconnecL Lopologles Lhe opLlmum placemenL of Lhe recelvers wlLh
respecL Lo aggressor drlvers can be deduced uslng a Lransmlsslon llne slmulaLor.

age 42 of 76
4. LMC Cons|derat|ons

4.1 Genera| Cons|derat|ons

1he elecLromagneLlc compaLlblllLy (LMC) represenLs Lhe ablllLy of equlpmenL Lo operaLe
ln an elecLromagneLlc envlronmenL wlLhouL lnLerferlng wlLh oLher equlpmenL above cerLaln
regulaLed llmlLs. LMC has Lwo componenLs:
- Lmlsslon - Lhe generaLlon of elecLromagneLlc energy by Lhe equlpmenL
- lmmunlLy - Lhe ablllLy Lo operaLe correcLly ln Lhe presence of elecLromagneLlc energy
emlLLed by oLher sources
1o recelve an LMC compllance cerLlflcaLlon, Lhe equlpmenL musL provlde low emlsslon
and hlgh lmmunlLy accordlng Lo currenL regulaLlons.
1here ls no sLrlcL dlsLlncLlon beLween slgnal & power lnLegrlLy and elecLromagneLlc
compaLlblllLy lssues, as boLh deal wlLh elecLromagneLlc lnLerference (LMl), lf slgnal & power
lnLegrlLy ls concerned wlLh lnLerference wlLhln Lhe dlfferenL parLs of a producL, LMC deals wlLh
lnLerference beLween Lhe producL and Lhe exLernal elecLromagneLlc envlronmenL. Cood slgnal &
power lnLegrlLy pracLlces, as Lhose presenLed ln Lhe prevlous chapLers, also have a beneflclal
effecL on Lhe elecLromagneLlc compaLlblllLy. 1hls chapLer explalns some guldellnes LhaL are more
speclflc Lo emlsslon and lmmunlLy, wlLh Lhe provlslon LhaL for good LMC lL ls also necessary Lo
fulflll Lhe requlremenLs speclflc Lo power supplles, groundlng, hlgh speed and crossLalk.

4.2 Components

1he analog bandwldLh of Lhe slgnal ls deLermlned by lLs frequency conLenL for analog
slgnals and rlse Llme for dlglLal slgnals (see effecLlve frequency ln paragraph 6.2). 1he hlgher Lhe
bandwldLh of Lhe slgnal, Lhe hlgher Lhe elecLromagneLlc emlsslon and lower Lhe lmmunlLy wlll
be. uependlng on Lhe appllcaLlon speclflcs, Lhe enLlre analog bandwldLh mlghL noL be requlred
and LMl problems wlll be generaLed wlLhouL any funcLlonal beneflL. As a consequence, Lhe
analog bandwldLh should be llmlLed Lo Lhe mlnlmum requlred by Lhe appllcaLlon, or conversely
Lhe rlse Llme should be lncreased Lo Lhe maxlmum allowed by Lhe appllcaLlon. 1hls can be
accompllshed by an approprlaLe cholce of lCs and by fllLerlng.

n|nt on component se|ect|on
- ]'1%3# ./((#$ ,/$ #'(1$#, .(@0(6$6,# ,/%, #%,+#*3 ,/$ %00'+.%,+(6
-$J2+-$@$6,#4 O%7(- FG= (7$- RN=4
n|nt on ana|og bandw|dth
- A* %00'+.%,+(6 %''(1#E -$<2.$ ,/$ %6%'(& )%6<1+<,/ (* /+&/ #0$$< #+&6%'#
2#+6& '(1 0%## *+',$-# 0'%.$< 6$%- ,/$ #+&6%' &$6$-%,(-
n|nt on unused p|ns
- B(66$., 262#$< +602, 0+6# ,( % =B 0(,$6,+%' 8dBB (- fI=9
n|nt on heats|nks
- f-(26< ,/$ /$%,#+65# 2#+6& @2',+0'$ .(66$.,+(6 0(+6,# <+#,-+)2,$< (6 ,/$
0$-+@$,$-

age 43 of 76
4.2.1 Component se|ect|on

uependlng on Lhelr funcLlon, analog and mlxed slgnal lCs may have a speed"
speclflcaLlon expressed as maxlmum operaLlng frequency, sampllng raLe, bandwldLh or slew
raLe. ulglLal lCs may have a speed" speclflcaLlon expressed as maxlmum operaLlng frequency or
Lyplcal rlse Llme. 1he speed aL whlch an lC can operaLe should be sllghLly hlgher Lhan Lhe
appllcaLlon requlres lL.
1he package of Lhe componenL also has lnfluence of lLs behavlor aL hlgh frequencles,
because of Lhe paraslLlc capaclLance beLween plns and Lhelr self and muLual lnducLances. lL ls
recommended Lo use excluslvely surface mounL packages for all Lhe hlgh speed componenLs.

4.2.2 n|gh speed f||ters

AnoLher way Lo resLrlcL Lhe analog bandwldLh of hlgh speed slgnals ls by uslng low-pass
fllLers Lo remove Lhe hlgh frequency conLenL. 1hls can be accompllshed uslng 8-C fllLers
connecLed ln close proxlmlLy Lo Lhe slgnal source, as lllusLraLed by flgure 6.1

llg. 6.1 CpLlmum fllLerlng of hlgh-speed slgnals

1hls conflguraLlon can be used ln con[uncLlon wlLh a LermlnaLlon, by uslng Lhe serles
LermlnaLlon reslsLor as Lhe reslsLlve componenL of Lhe low-pass fllLer. SMu ceramlc capaclLors
on small packages are Lhe mosL sulLable for hlgh-frequency fllLerlng because of Lhelr low
lmpedance aL hlgh frequency. 1hree-Lermlnal capaclLors should be used for low-lmpedance
drlvers, as Lhey have Lwo serles lnducLances LhaL form wlLh Lhe capaclLor a 1" fllLer. 1o furLher
lmprove LMC performance, bead ferrlLes can be connecLed near Lhe fllLerlng capaclLor.
1he common mode radlaLlon of dlfferenLlal slgnals can also be aLLenuaLed uslng
common mode chokes.

age 44 of 76
4.2.3 Unused p|ns

unused lnpuL plns should noL be lefL floaLlng, as Lhey mlghL osclllaLe due Lo
elecLromagneLlc lnLerference and lncrease Lhe dynamlc supply currenL. unused lnpuL plns
should be connecLed Lo a uC poLenLlal, elLher vCC or Cnu.
unused ouLpuL plns should be lefL unconnecLed
unused bldlrecLlonal plns should be conflgured as lnpuLs and connecLed Lo vCC or Cnu.
lf Lhey cannoL be permanenLly conflgured as lnpuLs Lhey should be connecLed Lo vCC or Cnu
uslng a hlgh value reslsLor. noLe LhaL Lhls reslsLor wlll acL as a pullup or pulldown when Lhe
bldlrecLlonal pln ls conflgured as lnpuL and as a load when Lhe pln ls conflgured as ouLpuL, so lL
wlll deLermlne Lhe currenL sourced / sunk by Lhe lC.

4.2.4 neats|nks

PeaLslnks are large meLalllc ob[ecLs LhaL may be energlzed Lo a hlgh frequency poLenLlal
caused by:
- Calvanlc connecLlon Lo a swlLchlng poLenLlal, such as Lhe draln or source of a power
MCSlL1
- araslLlc capaclLance Lo a nolse source such as a hlgh-frequency lC

Whlle galvanlc connecLlon Lo a hlgh-frequency swlLchlng poLenLlal can be avolded by
elecLrlcally lnsulaLlng Lhe heaLslnk Lo Lhe componenL, Lhe lnsulaLlon foll musL be Lhln for good
Lhermal Lransfer so a hlgh capaclLlve coupllng wlll sLlll occur. lf Lhe heaLslnk ls allowed Lo
become energlzed aL a hlgh frequency poLenLlal lL wlll generaLe elecLromagneLlc radlaLlon.
lurLhermore, lf Lhe heaLslnk ls close Lo Lhe walls of a meLalllc enclosure, lL wlll energlze lL
Lhrough Lhe paraslLlc heaLslnk-enclosure capaclLance, lncreaslng Lhe radlaLlon level. 1o avold
Lhls, a few counLermeasures should be consldered:
)#* lsolaLe heaLslnks from swlLchlng poLenLlals
)##* keep heaLslnks away from hlgh-frequency slgnals
)###* lf )##* ls noL posslble, ground Lhe heaLslnk uslng mulLlple connecLlons polnL dlsLrlbuLed on
Lhe perlmeLer or a conLlnuous conducLlve gaskeL.

llg. 6.2 MulLl-polnL groundlng of a heaLslnk

4.2.S Sh|e|ded components

Some componenLs such as 8l communlcaLlon modules or LCus are manufacLured wlLh a
shleld, elLher Lo proLecL senslLlve lnLernal slgnals agalnsL exLernal perLurbaLlons or Lo prevenL
excesslve radlaLlon from Lhe module. ln such cases, Lhe shleld should be grounded ln mulLlple
polnLs dlsLrlbuLed on Lhe perlmeLer, ln a way slmllar Lo heaLslnk groundlng.

age 43 of 76
4.3 ower Supp|y

4.3.1 Ma|ns

1he malns supply ls Lhe prlmary way of conducLlng perLurbaLlons ln and ouL elecLronlc
equlpmenLs and should be consldered a poLenLlal aggressor. AlLhough Lhe malns should ln
prlnclple have a predlcLable waveform and frequency specLrum, and Lhus be easy Lo Lake
counLermeasures, ln pracLlce Lhe malns may have a much wlder bandwldLh caused by:
- volLage dlsLorLlon
- 1ranslenLs caused by varlous loads swlLchlng
- ower llne communlcaLlon (LC) LhaL my share Lhe same neLwork

1he prlmary proLecLlon agalnsL such conducLed perLurbaLlons ls Lhe malns fllLer,
lllusLraLed by flg. 6.3. lL should be connecLed as close as posslble Lo Lhe malns connecLor and
prlor Lo Lhe malns swlLch.

llg. 6.3 Malns fllLer

8esldes conducLed radlaLlon, Lhe relaLlvely hlgh volLage of Lhe malns generaLes low
frequency elecLrlc flelds LhaL can couple Lo Lhe resL of Lhe clrculL. 1o avold Lhls, paraslLlc
capaclLances beLween any conducLor aL Lhe malns poLenLlal and Lhe low-volLage clrculL
(lncludlng ground and chassls) should be avolded. lf close proxlmlLy beLween Lhe malns clrculL
and poLenLlal vlcLlms cannoL be avolded, an elecLromagneLlc shleld should be consldered.

4.3.2 Vo|tage regu|ators

volLage regulaLors musL noL [usL provlde a speclflc volLage level buL also Lo ellmlnaLe any
specLral componenL oLher Lhan uC. 1o accompllsh Lhls lL ls mandaLory Lo use fllLerlng capaclLors
boLh aL Lhe lnpuL and ouLpuL and Lo follow some speclflc deslgn recommendaLlons:
- use Lwo fllLerlng capaclLors, a large one for low frequencles and a small one for hlgh
frequencles
n|nt about ma|ns vo|tage
- X$$0 ,/$ @%+6# 7(',%&$ /+<<$6 *-(@ ,/$ -$#, (* ,/$ .+-.2+, +4$4 $'$.,-+.%''3
%6< 0-(C+@+,3
n|nt on rout|ng SMSs
- G+6+@+U$ ,/$ /+&/ #1+,./+6& .2--$6, '((0 '$6&,/#
- "#$ @2',+0'$ 7+%# ,( 0(1$- 0'%6$ ,( -$<2.$ #$-+$# +6<2.,%6.$

age 46 of 76
- lace Lhe small lnpuL fllLerlng capaclLor nexL Lo Lhe low volLage enLry polnL (Lransformer
or connecLor)
- use a shorL ground connecLlon beLween Lhe small lnpuL fllLerlng capaclLor and low
volLage enLry polnL ground. 1hls ls necessary Lo reduce aL mlnlmum Lhe hlgh frequency
lnpuL currenL loop
- lace and rouLe Lhe componenLs such LhaL Lhe lnpuL currenL follows Lhls currenL paLh:
enLry polnL small capaclLor large capaclLor volLage regulaLor small capaclLor
large capaclLor supply dlsLrlbuLlon. lf a vCC plane ls used, Lhe regulaLed volLage
should be connecLed Lo Lhe plane only afLer Lhe flnal capaclLor. llgure 6.4 presenLs an
example of placemenL and rouLlng for such a currenL paLh.

llg. 6.4 Lxample of volLage regulaLor placemenL / rouLlng

- use a low-lmpedance ground connecLlon (Cnu plane or wlde Lraces)

lf no volLage regulaLor ls presenL on Lhe C8, Lhe lnpuL fllLerlng capaclLors should sLlll be
presenL and placed and rouLed as presenLed above.

4.3.3 Sw|tch|ng mode power supp||es

SwlLchlng mode power supplles requlres speclal precauLlons because of Lhe hlgh dl/dL
raLlo LhaL generaLes radlaLed perLurbaLlons. As Lhe swlLchlng frequency and load currenL
lncreases, more radlaLlon should be expecLed. Whlle each SMS Lopology requlres a speclflc
analysls, some conslderaLlons are general:
- Croup all Lhe SMS componenLs as LlghL as posslble
- Mlnlmlze Lhe loop of hlgh dl/dL currenLs
- use a small ground recovery loop
- use a local sLar ground separaLed from Lhe ground of Lhe resL of Lhe clrculL
- Conslder connecLlng Lhe ground polnL of Lhe SMS Lo Lhe ground of Lhe resL of Lhe
clrculL Lhrough a ferrlLe bead.
llgure 6.3 lllusLraLes Lhe currenL loops for a buck converLer.

age 47 of 76

llg. 6.3 CurrenL loops for a buck converLer
4.4 kout|ng

4.4.1 C|ock d|str|but|on

1he clock slgnal ls usually one of Lhe maln causes of emlLLed radlaLlon, for several
reasons:
- lL probably has Lhe hlghesL frequency ln Lhe clrculL
- lL has a recLangular waveform, meanlng a hlgh bandwldLh
- lL usually reaches a large number of lCs, so Lhe clock Lraces are long

lor Lhose reasons, Lhe clock should be dlsLrlbuLed carefully ln order Lo avold creaLlng
radlaLlng loops. Some baslc recommendaLlons should be followed:
- 8educe Lhe fanouL of Lhe clock generaLor uslng buffers, ln order Lo reduce Lhe currenL
Lravelllng on Lhe clock Lraces
- use serles LermlnaLlon aL Lhe clock generaLor, ln order Lo furLher reduce Lhe currenL
Lravelllng on Lhe Lraces
- 8ouLe Lhe clock Lraces ln close proxlmlLy Lo Lhe ground on Lhelr enLlre lengLh (over a
ground plane or uslng guard Lraces), ln order Lo reduce Lhe area of Lhe radlaLlng loop
- lf posslble rouLe Lhe clock Lraces on sLrlpllne layers, whlch can provlde shleldlng and
reduce radlaLlon
- Avold rouLlng Lhe clock Lraces near Lhe edges of Lhe board

n|nt about c|ock d|str|but|on
- B'(.5 ,-%.$# #/(2'< %'1%3# )$ '(.%,$< .'(#$ ,( &-(26<
Guard|ng mytho|ogy
- f2%-<+6& +# 6( #+'7$- )2''$, g <(6>, $C0$., +, ,( 0$-*(-@ @+-%.'$#?
n|nt on stubs
- F,2)# b %6,$66%#E %7(+< ,/$@ %, %'' ,+@$#?

age 48 of 76
4.4.2 Guard|ng

Cuardlng hlgh-bandwldLh slgnals ls consldered Lo be a ma[or conLrlbuLor Lo Lhe
reducLlon of elecLromagneLlc lnLerference. Powever, experlmenLal measuremenLs proved LhaL lL
can only provlde moderaLe aLLenuaLlon of emlsslons, whlch usually don'L [usLlfy Lhe board space
requlred.
Cuardlng can be lmplemenLed ln several ways, lllusLraLed by flg. 6.6
Guard trace
- 1he Cnu Lrace should run ln
parallel Lo Lhe slgnal Lrace
- 1he Cnu Lrace should be
connecLed Lo ground aL boLh ends

Guard |oop
- A Cnu Lrace should creaLe a loop
around Lhe slgnal Lrace
- 1he Cnu Lrace should be
connecLed Lo ground aL boLh ends

|cket fence (Iaraday Cage)
- A guard rlng should be rouLed on
Lhe perlmeLer of Lhe board or a
zone
- 1he rlng should be connecLed Lo a
ground plane (or a ground rlng
on anoLher layer) uslng mulLlple
vlas
- 1he maxlmum dlsLance beLween
vlas should be 1/10 of Lhe
wavelengLh of Lhe maxlmum
frequency conLenL of Lhe guarded
slgnals

llg. 6.6 Cuardlng Lechnlques

Whlle proper guardlng cannoL hurL ln Lerms of elecLromagneLlc lnLerference, lL should
be only used as a lasL resorL. noL generaLlng elecLromagneLlc radlaLlon ln Lhe flrsL place ls beLLer
Lhan Lrylng Lo conLaln lL.

age 49 of 76
4.4.3 Stubs

SLubs are segmenL of a Lrace or vla LhaL are noL on any currenL paLh. llgure 6.7
lllusLraLes Lhe Lypes of sLubs LhaL can be accldenLally creaLed on a C8.
1race stub = a segmenL of Lrace unconnecLed
aL one end

V|a stub = a vla LhaL ls noL on Lhe slgnal paLh
on lLs enLlre helghL

1est po|nt stub = a LesL polnL LhaL ls rouLed
aparL from Lhe slgnal Lrace (noL on Lhe slgnal
paLh durlng normal operaLlon)

llg. 6.7 C8 SLubs

SLubs are anLennas. uependlng on Lhe frequency conLenL of Lhe slgnal, Lhe sLub lengLh
and dlelecLrlc properLles, lL mlghL be a very good or a poor anLenna. lL ls noL easy Lo declde
wheLher a sLub wlll cause LMl problems wlLhouL an elecLromagneLlc fleld slmulaLor, so sLubs
should be avolded aL all Llmes. lf vla sLubs cannoL be avolded for reasons deallng wlLh Lhe C8
manufacLurlng Lechnology, Lhelr number on hlgh speed slgnals should be kepL Lo mlnlmum.

4.S System des|gn

4.S.1 Chass|s ground|ng

lf Lhe equlpmenL wlll be lnsLalled ln a conducLlve houslng (chassls), Lhls should be
connecLed Lo Lhe ground poLenLlal Lo provlde shleldlng agalnsL elecLromagneLlc lnLerference.
1he chassls ground should noL be connecLed dlrecLly Lo Lhe slgnal ground, as lL mlghL lnduce
hlgh frequency nolse. 1he besL pracLlce ls Lo use a dlsconLlnuous chassls ground around Lhe
edges of Lhe board, connecLed Lo Lhe chassls Lhrough Lhe mounLlng holes, as lllusLraLed by flg.
6.8. 1he C8 chassls ground should be dlsconLlnuous ln order Lo avold creaLlng a loop anLenna.
n|nt on chass|s ground|ng
- B/%##+# &-(26< #/(2'< )$ .(66$.,$< ,( #+&6%' &-(26< %, % #+6&'$ 0(+6,
n|nt on cab|es and connectors
- B%)'$# %6< .(66$.,(-# #/(2'< )$ #$&-$&%,$< %..(-<+6& ,( ,/$ #+&6%'

age 30 of 76

llg. 6.8 MulLl-polnL chassls groundlng

lf proLecLlon of Lhe elecLronlcs agalnsL poLenLlal hlgh-currenL dlscharges Lhrough Lhe
chassls ground ls a concern, perhaps because Lhe chassls ground ls earLhed Lo proLecL Lhe
human operaLor, Lhan Lhe connecLlon slgnal-chassls ground should be made Lhrough a capaclLor
lnsLead of a conducLor. 1yplcal values for Lhls capaclLor range beLween 10 [nl] and 100 [nl]. 1hls
wlll allow hlgh-frequency currenLs Lo pass beLween Lhe grounds, so LhaL Lhe chassls wlll sLlll
provlde shleldlng, buL wlll prevenL hlgh currenL dlscharges Lhrough Lhe slgnal ground.
lf such groundlng ls noL posslble Lhen a sLar polnL groundlng should be used, wlLh a
slngle connecLlon beLween Lhe slgnal and chassls ground, near Lhe power supply of Lhe clrculL. lf
Lhls ls Lhe case Lhen mounLlng holes should be lefL unconnecLed. CapaclLlve coupllng should
agaln be consldered lf Lhe chassls ground ls earLhed.

4.S.2 Cab|es
Cables should be classlfled accordlng Lo Lhe characLerlsLlcs of Lhe slgnals Lhey carry, ln
order Lo declde on Lhe proper cable layouL and connecLor placemenL. Cables of any class are
recommended Lo be provlded wlLh a ferrlLe on each end. Shlelded cables should have Lhe shleld
grounded aL boLh ends.

1ype 1yp|ca| Usage kecommendat|on
C|ass 1: SenslLlve Low level analog slgnals
generaLed by hlgh lmpedance
sources
use shlelded cables
use LwlsLed palrs for
use a slngle cable for each
slgnal
use ferrlLe
C|ass 2: SllghLly senslLlve Medlum level analog slgnals,
low speed dlglLal slgnals
use shlelded or LwlsLed palr
cables
C|ass 3: SllghLly nolsy uC ower, hlgh level fllLered
analog slgnals,

C|ass 4: nolsy Malns, hlgh speed dlglLal
slgnals, hlgh level unfllLered
analog slgnals, swlLched loads

age 31 of 76
Cables should be as shorL as posslble and Lhelr layouL should be deslgned such LhaL Lhey
are ln close proxlmlLy Lo a parallel earLh conducLor (LC), whlch should have a low reslsLance
and be connecLed Lo earLh aL all ends. 1he maln purpose of Lhe LC ls Lo dlverL any dlscharglng
currenLs away from Lhe cable shleldlng.
1he cables should noL be bundled and should provlde and a large clearances beLween
dlsslmllar class cables should be provlded. llgure 6.9 presenLs some recommendaLlons regardlng
Lhe mlnlmum clearance beLween cables, accordlng Lo Lhelr class.

llg. 6.9 Mlnlmum clearance beLween cables

4.S.3 Connectors

ConnecLor placemenL enables or dlsables Lhe approprlaLe cable clearance, so lL should
also Lake lnLo accounL Lhe slgnal classes presenLed ln Lhe prevlous paragraph. lurLhermore,
connecLors should be consldered as parL of Lhe funcLlonal block conLalnlng Lhe slgnals carrled by
Lhe cable and placed on Lhe C8 accordlngly (see paragraph 6.3 on placemenL). ConnecLor
placemenL mlghL be also resLrlcLed by mechanlcal conslderaLlon, so an approprlaLe plannlng
should be done durlng sysLem deslgn.
As nolse mlghL be coupled on Lhe cable, lL ls lmporLanL Lo place slgnal fllLers ln Lhe close
proxlmlLy of Lhe connecLor (see paragraph 6.3.2 on fllLers). A large low-lmpedance ground
should be provlded aL leasL ln Lhe connecLor - fllLer area, uslng a ground plane (or aL leasL a local
ground lsland lf noL posslble) and groundlng as many plns as posslble.

age 32 of 76
4.6 LSD & Safety

4.6.1 Connectors

SLaLlc elecLrlclLy can accumulaLe on human operaLors and equlpmenL and dlscharge
Lhrough Lhe lCs wlLh desLrucLlve effecLs. 1he mosL dangerous dlscharge paLh ls Lhrough dlrecL
conLacL and Lhe parLs of a clrculL mosL llkely Lo suffer from elecLrosLaLlc dlscharges (LSu) are Lhe
ones avallable ouLslde Lhe enclosure, Lhrough connecLors. 1he dlscharge pulse may have an
energy of Lens or hundreds of m!, whlle mosL lCs can only wlLhsLand several m!, so addlLlonal
proLecLlon ls requlred. llgure 6.10 lllusLraLes a Lyplcal dlscharge pulse accordlng Lo Lhe human
body model (P8M).

llg. 6.10 1yplcal P8M dlscharge pulse

1he LranslenL suppressors are componenLs added Lo Lhe clrculL speclflcally Lo dlverL Lhe
LSu pulse away from Lhe senslLlve lCs. 1he followlng suppressors can be used:

Suppress|on
1ype
1yp|ca| Imp|ementat|on ros and Cons
Spark gaps

- 1he gap beLween Lhe sharp
Llps should be 0.1 . 0.6 [mm]
- Low cosL
- Long response Llme
- ulscharge Lhreshold depends
on pressure and LemperaLure
and can change ln Llme
n|nt on LSD protect|on
- S/$-$ 0(##+)'$E 0-(7+<$ % ,-%6#+$6, #200-$##(- *(- $%./ #+&6%' <$#,+6$< *(-
,/$ (2,#+<$ 1(-'< 7+% % .(66$.,(-

age 33 of 76
8eslsLor

- 1he reslsLor reduces Lhe
ampllLude of Lhe LSu pulse
- Can'L dlverL LSu pulse Lo
ground
CapaclLor

- 1he capaclLor dlverLs Lhe LSu
pulse Lo ground and away
from Lhe lC
- 1he capaclLor value should be
1.100 [nl]
- 8esponse Llme: Lens of [ps]
varlsLor

- Can dlscharge hlgh currenLs
- 8esponse Llme: hundreds of
[ps]
- Plgher cosL
1vS ulode

- keeps a low volLage aL lC pln
- lasL response Llme
- Plgher cosL
- MosL dlglLal lCs already have
lnLegraLed 1vS dlodes, buL
Lhe LSu pulse musL be
dlverLed aL Lhe enLry polnL Lo
prevenL dlscharge Lo ad[acenL
Lraces

8egardless of Lhe suppressor Lype used, lL should be locaLed near Lhe connecLor pln.
lurLhermore, Lhe slgnal should noL be rouLed dlrecLly from Lhe connecLor pln buL from Lhe
LranslenL suppressor. llgure 6.11 lllusLraLes poor and good rouLlng of a slgnal from Lhe
connecLor.

CCk

GCCD

llg. 6.11 oor and good rouLlng of Lhe LranslenL suppressor

age 34 of 76
4.6.2 Sens|t|ve p|ns

Many programmable devlces such as mlcroconLrollers and lCAs use Lhe reseL pln Lo
supply Lhe volLage requlred for ln-clrculL programmlng, a volLage LhaL ls usually hlgher Lhan Lhe
supply volLage. Some ouLpuL plns mlghL noL be drlven by a push-pull drlver buL uslng an open
draln conflguraLlon. Some lnpuL plns of low-volLage devlces are LoleranL Lo hlgher volLage (for
lnsLance lCs powered by 3.3 [v] mlghL be 3v-LoleranL).
1hls prevenLs Lhe lnLegraLlon of a clamplng dlode Lo vCC, maklng such plns more
senslLlve Lo LSu dlscharges. llgure 6.12 presenLs an example of Lhe LSu proLecLlon for Lhe 8eseL
pln, lnLegraLed lnLo Lhe lC.

llg. 6.12 1yplcal 8eseL pln LSu proLecLlon

Also plns LhaL don'L have lnLegraLed LSu proLecLlon and are pulled up or down by hlgh
value reslsLors are senslLlve Lo dlscharges.
Such plns requlre speclal precauLlon regardlng placemenL and rouLlng:
- Should noL be locaLed or rouLed near Lhe board edge
- Should noL be locaLed or rouLed near Lhe chassls ground
- Should noL be locaLed or rouLed near conducLlve mounLlng holes
- Should be provlded wlLh some exLernal LranslenL suppressor.

lf ln-clrculL programmlng (lC) ls noL used ln Lhe appllcaLlon, an exLernal dlode should be
provlded exLernal Lo Lhe lC, beLween Lhe 8eseL pln and vCC pln. lf Lhe ln-clrculL programmlng ls
used Lhen such a dlode cannoL be added and Lhe only proLecLlon avallable ls Lhe LranslenL
suppressor connecLed near Lhe lC connecLor. Lven lf lC ls noL used, a capaclLor ls
recommended Lo be placed on Lhe 8eseL llne near Lhe lC pln, Lo provlde fllLerlng and avold
spurlous sysLem reseL.

4.6.3 n|gh Vo|tage

lf Lhe clrculL operaLes wlLh hlgh volLages, Lhose can presenL a danger Lo Lhe human
operaLor. lL ls consldered LhaL volLages hlgher Lhan 40 [v] can represenL a danger for Lhe human
body, so volLages hlgher Lhan 40 [v] should be regarded as hlgh volLage". ln such cases lL ls
mandaLory Lo connecL any meLalllc parL LhaL can be Louched by Lhe personnel Lo earLh.
Appllcable safeLy regulaLlons should be followed.
ClrculLs operaLlng wlLh hlgh volLage requlre addlLlonal precauLlons regardlng Lhe
clearance beLween conducLlve parLs LhaL can have dlfferenL poLenLlals, ln order Lo prevenL
dlscharges ln alr or dlelecLrlc. 1hls ls appllcable Lo C8 copper clearances and also Lo clearance
beLween C8 copper and oLher meLalllc parLs (componenLs, chassls, eLc). 1he mlnlmum
clearances depends on layer (lnLernal / exLernal), coaLlng and elevaLlon, and are deLalled ln Lhe
lC-2221 sLandard, pp. 39-40. lor volLages lower Lhan 13 [v] (uC or AC peak) Lhe mlnlmum

age 33 of 76
clearance ls below Lhe mlnlmum clearance resLrlcLed by common C8 manufacLurlng processes,
so no speclal precauLlons are requlred.

S. Des|gn for 1est
S.1 1est o|nts

ln order Lo allow Lhe elecLrlcal LesLlng of Lhe flnlshed C8 assembly, some or all Lhe
slgnals should be provlded wlLh LesL polnLs. 1he followlng feaLures may be used as LesL polnLs:
(i) d+%#^ noL recommended for several reasons. llrsL, Lhls wlll prohlblL changlng Lhe vla
locaLlons durlng an evenLual deslgn revlew, because changlng vla locaLlons wlll requlre
rebulldlng Lhe LesL flxLure, wlLh addlLlonal cosLs. Second, LesL probes can be Lrapped and
break ln Lhe vla holes, so vlas musL be fllled wlLh solder. 1hlrd, vlas used as LesL polnLs
cannoL be locaLed under componenLs, whlch ls an addlLlonal deslgn resLrlcLlon.
(ii) =$<+.%,$< ,$#, 0%<#^ Lhls ls Lhe recommended cholce. 1esL pads should be round SM1
pads, elLher wlLh a mlnlmum dlameLer of 33 [mlls] locaLed on a 100 [mlls] or 73 [mlls]
grld, or wlLh a mlnlmum dlameLer of 40 [mlls] locaLed on a 30 [mlls] grld.

lC recommend Lhe followlng clearances for LesL polnLs:
- 20 [mlls] Lo any oLher conducLor
- 40 [mlls] Lo small componenLs
- 200 [mlls] Lo Lall componenLs LhaL requlre mllllng ln Lhe LesL flxLure

1he exacL clearance requlremenL mlghL be dlfferenL from a manufacLurer Lo
anoLher. lf LesL pad slze and clearance recommendaLlons are noL avallable from Lhe C8A
manufacLurer, Lhe lC values should be used.
1esL polnLs should be dlsLrlbuLed evenly on Lhe C8, Lo prevenL flexlng caused by
Lhe mechanlcal acLlon of Lhe LesL probes. 1he LesL polnL denslLy should noL exceed 100 /
lnch
2
for mechanlcal flxLures or 23 / lnch
2
for vacuum flxLures, unless speclfled oLherwlse by
Lhe C8A manufacLurer.

lL ls hlghly recommended Lo place LesL polnLs on a slngle slde of Lhe C8, as
double slde LesL flxLures wlll lncrease cosL. lf Lhls ls posslble Lhen all Lhe LesL polnLs should be
locaLed on Lhe slde unpopulaLed wlLh Lall componenLs.

S.2 1oo||ng |ns

lor a preclse reglsLraLlon of Lhe C8 wlLh Lhe LesL flxLure, Lwo or Lhree Loollng plns are
used, placed assymmeLrlcal on Lhe corners of Lhe board, as lllusLraLed by flgure 7.1.

llg. 7.1 LocaLlon of Loollng plns

age 36 of 76
1wo or Lhree unplaLed holes should be provlded for Lhe Loollng plns. 1he dlameLer of
Lhe holes depends on Lhe dlameLer of Lhe Loollng plns used by Lhe manufacLurer of Lhe LesL
flxLure, and ls usually 3 [mm] or 123 [mlls]. A mlnlmum clearance of 100 [mlls] Lo Lhe edge of Lhe
board should be used. lf no speclflc requlremenLs are avallable from Lhe C8A manufacLurer, Lhe
above recommendaLlons should be used ln Lhe checkllsL. 1he holes for Lhe Loollng plns should
be marked expllclLly on Lhe mechanlcal drawlngs.

S.3 ush f|ngers

lf a mechanlcal LesL flxLure wlll be used, push flngers requlred Lo press Lhe C8 agalnsL
Lhe probes. ComponenL-free areas should be dlsLrlbuLed evenly across Lhe board, on a
1.3 . 2 [lnch] grld, Lo allow push flnger Lo make conLacL wlLh Lhe board. 1he componenL-free
areas should have 130.200 [mlls] ln dlameLer, unless speclfled oLherwlse by Lhe C8A
manufacLurer. 1he push flnger locaLlons should be expllclLly marked on Lhe mechanlcal
drawlngs.

S.4 Sea||ng

vacuum LesL flxLure Lo noL use push flngers buL requlre some precauLlons regardlng
seallng Lo prevenL loss of alr pressure:
- ComponenLs should have a mlnlmum clearance of 130 [mlls] Lo board edges Lo prevenL
damage Lo Lhe seallng gaskeL.
- All holes should be covered wlLh solder or by Lhe solder mask
- lL ls recommended LhaL Lhe board has a recLangular shape Lo reduce LesL flxLure cosL.

S.S ACI

1o allow an auLomaLed opLlcal lnspecLlon (ACl) of Lhe solder [olnLs aL Lhe end of Lhe
assembly process, Lall componenLs should noL be placed close Lo solderlng pads ln order Lo
prevenL Lhe obsLrucLlon of Lhe vlewlng llne of Lhe camera. 1he mlnlmum clearance around Lall
componenLs (x) depends on Lhe helghL of Lhe componenL (?) and Lhe vlewlng angle of Lhe
camera (o) and can be calculaLed as:
cot X Y o > (7.1)

llg. 7.2 vlewlng angle of ACl camera

age 37 of 76
AddlLlonally, Lhe solder mask should be maL Lo prevenL excesslve llghL reflecLlon. WlLh
whlLe solder mask ACl capablllLles are llmlLed.

6. Des|gn for Manufacture

6.1 Stackup

6.1.1 Symmetry

1yplcal C8s are manufacLured by lamlnaLlng palrs of copper folls on boLh sldes of a
core, Lhrough lnLermedlaLe prepreg dlelecLrlcs. 1hls process ls lllusLraLed by flgure 8.1.

llg. 8.1 C8 LamlnaLlon process

1o allow such a manufacLurlng process, Lhe deslgned sLackup should be symmeLrlcal Lo
Lhe core. Powever, C8s may be manufacLured uslng mulLlple cores or bulld-up Lechnology,
whlch does noL necessary requlre sLackup symmeLry. Check Lhe manufacLurlng speclflcaLlons
upon decldlng lf an asymmeLrlcal sLackup ls allowed.

6.1.2 Dr||| pa|rs

uependlng on Lhe C8 manufacLurlng process one or more drlll conflguraLlons mlghL be
avallable. 1he resLrlcLlon comes from Lhe order of C8 manufacLurlng operaLlons, whlch
deLermlnes drllllng palrs. Cnly vlas beLween Lhe layer palrs LhaL can be physlcally drllled are
allowed. ln Lhe flgure below a 6-layer C8 ls manufacLured uslng Lwo cores, whlch leads Lwo Lhe
followlng drlll palrs:
- Layer 2 - Layer 3 (from manufacLurlng of Lhe upper core)
- Layer 4 - Layer 3 (from manufacLurlng of Lhe lower core)
- Layer 1 Lo Layer 6 (flnal drllllng afLer sLack lamlnaLlon)

age 38 of 76

llg. 8.2 Lxample of a C8 wlLh Lwo cores and Lhree drlll palrs

1he aspecL raLlo of each palr (helghL / dlameLer) deLermlnes Lhe mlnlmum hole slze LhaL
can be plaLed. 1hls lnformaLlon should be provlded by Lhe C8 manufacLurer.

6.1.3 Copper ba|ance
uurlng Lhe lamlnaLlon process, Lhe board can warp and Lhe layers may lose allgnmenL lf
Lhe local copper denslLy ls noL unlform on Lhe enLlre surface of Lhe board. 1o prevenL Lhls, on
each lnner layer Lhe areas free of Lraces / pads should be covered wlLh copper on a doL or
haLched paLLern (oLher opLlons are avallable). lL ls noL recommended Lo deslgn copper balanclng
uslng conLlnuous copper as Lhls wlll prevenL Lhe flow of resln durlng hlgh LemperaLure
lamlnaLlon and may cause warp. llgure 8.3 presenLs a few examples of copped balanclng.

un8ALAnCLu

uC1 8ALAnCLu

age 39 of 76

PA1CP 8ALAnCLu

llg. 8.3 Lxamples of copper balanclng

6.2 Des|gn ku|es Check

6.2.1 C|earance

Mlnlmum clearance beLween copper feaLures on a C8 layer ls resLrlcLed by Lhe C8
manufacLurlng process. 1he clearance ls measured beLween Lhe ouLer edges of Lraces, pads and
graphlcs, as lllusLraLed by flg. 8.4

llg. 8.4 Mlnlmum copper clearance

age 60 of 76
Clearance requlremenLs mlghL be dlfferenL for palrs of dlfferenL copper feaLures. Check
wlLh your manufacLurer for mlnlmum clearances and make sure LhaL your u8C checks for any
vlolaLlons of Lhose values.
noLe LhaL mlnlmum clearances mlghL dlffer from one layer Lo anoLher, especlally lf layer
Lhlcknesses are dlfferenL. Check C8 manufacLurer capablllLles!

6.2.2 W|dth

1he mlnlmum wldLh ls resLrlcLed by Lhe C8 manufacLurlng process. !usL llke Lhe
mlnlmum clearance, lL mlghL be dlfferenL for layers wlLh dlfferenL Lhlcknesses. Check C8
manufacLurer capablllLles!

llg. 8.3 Mlnlmum wldLh of Lraces and graphlcs

1he mlnlmum wldLh should be checked for:
- 1races
- SM1 ads
- Craphlcs

6.2.3 Annu|ar k|ng

1he mlnlmum hole slze ls deLermlned by Lhe drllllng equlpmenL capablllLles, Lhe board
Lhlckness and Lhe requlred plaLlng Lhlckness. 1he mlnlmum annular rlng ls deLermlned by Lhe
eLchlng process and Lhe drllllng Lolerances. 1ogeLher, Lhose Lwo parameLers deLermlne Lhe
mlnlmum pad slze for 1P1 componenLs and Lhe mlnlmum vla slze.

llg. 8.6 Pole slze and annular rlng

6.2.4 S||vers

Sllvers are deslgn feaLures LhaL are so small LhaL Lhey surface area mlghL be Loo small Lo
adhere Lo Lhe board. Sllvers are a rellablllLy rlsk, especlally lf Lhey have an elecLrlcal funcLlon,
and should be avolded. 1he mlnlmum allowed sllver should be deflned by Lhe manufacLurer ln
con[uncLlon wlLh reglsLraLlon Lolerances. llgure 8.7 exempllfles Lhe solder mask sllver.

age 61 of 76

llg. 8.7 Solder mask sllver

Sllvers should be checked for:
- Solderlng pads
- Copper graphlcs
- Solder mask
- Sllkscreen graphlcs

6.2.S Ac|d 1raps

Acld Lraps are areas LhaL do noL allow Lhe flow of Lhe eLchlng acld and slows down Lhe
eLchlng process. 1he mosL common cause of acld Lraps are Lhe Lraces rouLed wlLh acuLe angles.
llgure 8.8 lllusLraLes Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe rouLlng geomeLrles and acld Lraps.

llg. 8.8 8ouLlng geomeLrles and acld Lraps

C8s wlLh acld Lraps can sLlll be manufacLured, buL wlLh a lower yleld. Acld Lraps should
be checked for:
- 1races
- Copper graphlcs
- 1race-Lo-pad conLacLs

age 62 of 76
6.2.6 S||kscreen Cver ads

Sllkscreen graphlcs such as componenLs ouLllne or reference deslgnaLors should noL be
overlapped wlLh Lhe solderlng pads, as solderlng cannoL be done on palnL. A mlnlmum clearance
beLween sllkscreen and pads ls requlred Lo allow for reglsLraLlon Lolerances.

llg. 8.9 Sllkscreen over pads

6.3 Mechan|ca|

6.3.1 Mechan|ca| Draw|ngs

Mechanlcal drawlngs should be lncluded ln Lhe C8 manufacLurlng documenLaLlon Lo
allow Lhe C8 manufacLurer Lo undersLand how he flnlshed producL should look and avold laLer
mlsundersLandlngs. Mechanlcal drawlngs should lnclude aL leasL:
- 8oard (panel) slze
- MounLlng holes
- llduclal marks
- SloLs
- Mechanlcal Lolerances

llg. 8.10 LlemenLs of Lhe mechanlcal drawlngs

age 63 of 76

6.3.2 Dr||| Draw|ngs

urlll drawlngs are used as a check ald for Lhe drlll operaLlons durlng C8 manufacLurlng
process. 1he drlll drawlngs musL conLaln:
- urlll locaLlon uslng a dlsLlncL graphlcal symbol for each drlll slze
- Legend of drlll symbols
A drlll drawlng should be generaLed for each drlll palr. lf a drlll palr lncludes boLh plaLed
and unplaLed holes, lL ls recommended LhaL Lwo dlsLlncL drlll drawlngs are provlded. laLed and
unplaLed holes are noL drllled ln Lhe same manufacLurlng sLep.

llg. 8.11 urlll drawlngs

6.3.3 S|ots

SloLs are elongaLed holes creaLed by drllllng repeaLedly closely spaced holes. 1hey are
made uslng a drllllng Lool, noL a mllllng Lool. SloLs can also be creaLed by mllllng, buL lf Lhey musL
be plaLed Lhan Lhls wlll lncrease Lhe manufacLurlng cosL, as mllllng ls normally done only aL Lhe
end of Lhe manufacLurlng flow, afLer plaLlng. Mllled sloLs should only be used lf Lhey are
unplaLed. CauLlon should be Laken, as drllled sloLs musL be speclfled ln a drlll flle and mllled sloLs
ln Lhe border ouLllne flle. SloLs locaLlon and Lype should be speclfled expllclLly on Lhe mechanlcal
drawlngs.

llg. 8.12 urllled sloL

age 64 of 76
6.3.4 Mount|ng ho|es

MounLlng holes poslLlon and slze ls deLermlned by Lhe mechanlcal resLrlcLlons relaLed Lo
C8 assembly lnslde an enclosure or rack. MounLed holes should be unplaLed unless elecLrlcal
conLacL ls requlred for hlgh speed or LMC conslderaLlons. 1he dlameLer of unplaLed mounLlng
holes may be equal Lo Lhe screw slze, buL plaLlng wlll reduce Lhe flnlshed dlameLer of Lhe holes.
lor Lhls reason, plaLed mounLlng holes should have a dlameLer larger Lhan Lhe screw slze wlLh aL
leasL Lwlce Lhe plaLlng Lhlckness.
Large mounLlng holes should be mllled lnsLead of drllled because of drllllng equlpmenL
capablllLles. 1he exacL dlameLer llmlL LhaL deLermlnes lf a hole should be drllled or mllled ls
deLermlned by Lhe maxlmum hole slze speclflcaLlon of Lhe C8 manufacLurer capablllLles. lf such
holes musL be used, a speclflc requesL lncludlng plaLlng Lype should be added Lo Lhe C8
manufacLurlng speclflcaLlons.
MounLlng holes should be speclfled expllclLly on Lhe mechanlcal drawlngs.

6.3.S ane||zat|on

lf Lhe C8 manufacLurlng panel ls deflned by Lhe deslgner, lL should be opLlmlzed for an
efflclenL usage of panel space. A Lyplcal panel slze ls 460 x 610 [mm], buL Lhe exacL slze comes
from Lhe C8 manufacLurer capablllLles.
1he panel should deflne:
- A keepouL area on each slde Lo allow for manlpulaLlon
- 1oollng holes for equlpmenL reglsLraLlon. 1hose should be placed asymmeLrlcal Lo
prevenL wrong reglsLraLlon
- Scorlng llnes lf scorlng can be used for depanellzaLlon
- uepanellzaLlon rouLlng lf scorlng cannoL be used

llgure 8.13 lllusLraLes Lhe lC recommendaLlons regardlng C8 manufacLurlng panels.
1he exacL requlremenLs for panel deflnlLlons should be exLracLed from Lhe C8 manufacLurer
capablllLles.

age 63 of 76

llg. 8.13 lC recommendaLlons regardlng panellzaLlon

lf a manufacLurlng panel ls deflned by Lhe deslgner ln Lhe CAM flles, lL should have an
assoclaLed mechanlcal drawlng. lf Lhe manufacLurlng panel ls noL deflned ln Lhe CAM flles buL
Lhere are speclflc requlremenLs regardlng board-Lo-board poslLlonlng, a mechanlcal drawlng
should be provlded and an expllclL requesL lncluded ln Lhe manufacLurlng speclflcaLlons. 8e
aware LhaL panellzed assembly requlres Lhe panel deflnlLlon Lo be exacLly maLched wlLh Lhe
sLencll deflnlLlon.

6.3.6 C8 manufactur|ng spec|f|cat|ons

1he C8 deslgner should remember LhaL, whlle he or she has been worklng on a pro[ecL
for a cerLaln perlod of Llme, Lhe C8 manufacLurer has only a shorL perlod of Llme avallable
beLween recelvlng Lhe pro[ecL documenLaLlon and sendlng lL Lo manufacLurlng. Some deLalls are
llkely Lo be omlLLed by Lhe manufacLurer, however obvlous mlghL seem for Lhe deslgner, lf noL
speclfled expllclLly. 1he C8 manufacLurlng documenLaLlon should lnclude a speclflcaLlon sheeL
wlLh all Lhe requlremenLs deLalled, lncludlng aL leasL:
- ulelecLrlc properLles
- Solder mask color
- Sllkscreen color and Lhlckness
- Solderlng pads flnlsh
- LlecLrlcal / opLlcal LesLlng speclflcaLlon
- Speclal requlremenLs

age 66 of 76
6.4 Assemb|y Cons|derat|ons

1he assembly and solderlng of Lhe C8 ls usually done by anoLher parLy Lhan Lhe C8
manufacLurlng, whlch wlll be furLher ldenLlfled as Lhe C8A manufacLurer.

6.4.1 Assemb|y I|ow

1he assembly flow should be agreed wlLh Lhe C8A manufacLurer prlor Lo C8 deslgn, as
each sLep has speclflc requlremenLs. An assembly requlremenLs reporL should be wrlLLen,
lncludlng aL leasL:
- Assembly flow
- ComponenLs placemenL slde
- ComponenLs grld and orlenLaLlon
- ComponenLs clearance
- Speclal requlremenLs (panel slze, conformal coaLlng, flllers, eLc)

Such an assembly requlremenLs reporL ls requlred for Lhe approprlaLe revlew of Lhe
assembly conslderaLlons. 1he C8 deslgn should be checked agalnsL Lhls reporL prlor Lo CAM
release.

6.4.2 Stenc||s

lf reflow solderlng Lechnology ls parL of Lhe assembly flow, Lhe sLenclls for solder pasLe
deposlLlon should be deslgned. 1he sLencll aperLures should be sllghLly larger Lhan Lhe C8
solderlng pads. 1he recommended overslze of Lhe aperLure depends on Lhe Lype of solderlng
pasLe used and Lhe sLencll Lhlckness and should be agreed wlLh Lhe C8A manufacLurer prlor Lo
releaslng Lhe manufacLurlng flles.
llgure 8.14 lllusLraLes Lhe geomeLrlcal parameLers of a sLencll aperLure.

llg. 8.14 SLencll aperLure

lC recommends LhaL Lhe sLencll aperLures meeL Lwo requlremenLs:
8+9 ]#0$., -%,+( (wldLh / Lhlckness):
1.5
W
T
> (8.1)

8++9 ]-$% -%,+( (pad area / aperLure walls area):
( )
0.66
2
L W
L W T
>
+
(8.2)

age 67 of 76
6.4.3 ane||zed Assemb|y

lf several C8s shall be assembled as a slngle unlL Lhen an assembly panel should be
deflned. ln Lhls case ls essenLlal LhaL boLh Lhe C8 manufacLurlng panel and assembly panel are
deflned by Lhe deslgner prlor Lo C8 release, Lo allow hlm Lo conLrol Lhe exacL poslLlonlng of
each board on Lhe panel. As C8 manufacLurlng panels are usually larger Lhan solderlng
equlpmenLs can accommodaLe, Lhe manufacLurlng panel musL lnclude several assembly panels.
Several cauLlons should be consldered:
- 1he assembly panel slze and shape should be prevlously agreed wlLh Lhe C8A
manufacLurer
- Lach assembly panel should lnclude an assembly keepouL zone, deLermlned by Lhe
board carrlers used on Lhe assembly llne
- 1he board-Lo-board clearance should be resLrlcLed such LhaL Lhe mlnlmum componenL-
Lo-componenL clearance wlll be kepL beLween componenLs placed near opposlLe edges
of Lhe board.

6.4.4 Deca|s

1he C8 fooLprlnLs (decals) are essenLlal for a successful assembly, as poorly deslgned
fooLprlnLs are one of Lhe maln causes of solderlng defecLs LhaL requlre manual rework. lL ls
recommended Lo reuse fooLprlnLs verlfled ln prevlous successful pro[ecLs and Lo mark Lhem as
verlfled ln Lhe CAu fooLprlnLs llbrary.
lf prevlously verlfled fooLprlnLs are noL avallable Lhen fooLprlnLs compllanL wlLh Lhe
lC-7331 sLandard should be used. 1he +,- &, .#/(/0 sofLware (see uLlllLy 11.1) presenLs an
exLenslve llbrary of sLandard fooLprlnLs compllanL wlLh lC-7331. llgure 8.13 presenLs a
screenshoL of Lhls appllcaLlon, showlng Lhe fooLprlnL daLa for Lhe Alumlnum LlecLrolyLlc
CapaclLor wlLh land paLLern name CAAL1030x1730n.

age 68 of 76
llg. 8.13 lC L vlewer / CalculaLor

lor non-sLandard packages, Lhe +,- &, -1234215'0 sofLware should be used Lo generaLe
land paLLerns compllanL wlLh Lhe lC-7331 sLandard. lf Lhls ls noL avallable Lhen Lhe componenL
manufacLurer daLasheeL should be consulLed for fooLprlnL recommendaLlons. lf such daLa ls noL
avallable Lhen Lhe fooLprlnL should be checked agalnsL componenL slze, Lo make sure all
Lermlnals flL on Lhelr pads and a sufflclenL courLyard ls deflned.

6.4.S I|duc|a|s

llduclal marks are used by Lhe auLomaLed manufacLurlng equlpmenLs for preclse
reglsLraLlon of Lhe C8. 1hree Lypes of flduclal marks are requlred, as lllusLraLed by flg. 8.16.
- anel flduclals: Lhree marks placed asymmeLrlcal on Lhe corners of Lhe panel
- C8 flduclals: Lhree marks placed asymmeLrlcal on Lhe corners of Lhe C8
- Local flduclals: Lwo marks placed on opposlLe corners of flne plLch componenLs

llg. 8.16 llduclal marks

llduclal marks are copper feaLures placed on Lop layer, wlLh a clearance zone clear of
solder mask and copper. lC recommend uslng Lhe slze and clearance for flduclal mark
lllusLraLed by flg. 8.17

llg. 8.17 llduclal marks shape, slze and clearance

age 69 of 76
6.4.6 1herma| ke||ef

1he elecLrlcal conLacL beLween solderlng pads and large copper areas such as coollng
zones or planes should noL be made uslng conLlnuous copper, buL Lhrough Lwo, Lhree or four
Lraces. 1hls ls requlred ln order Lo avold heaL dlsslpaLlon lnLo Lhe large copper area durlng
solderlng, whlch may prevenL Lhe solder Lo fully melL. Such a pad-plane conLacL, as lllusLraLed by
flg. 8.18, ls called a Lhermal rellef pad".

llg. 8.18 1hermal rellef pad

lC recommends calculaLlng Lhe spoke wldLh accordlng Lo Lhe equaLlon:
_
0.6
_ _
Pad size
W
Nr of spokes
= (8.3)
1hls calculaLlon should only be used as a guldellne, as Lhe Lolerances regardlng spoke
wldLh, geomeLry and pad-Lo-plane clearances are much larger Lhan lC speclflcaLlons. Powever,
a mlnlmum number of Lwo spokes should be mandaLory for each Lhermal rellef pad.
1he Lhermal rellef may have deLrlmenLal effecLs on Lhe Lhermal managemenL as lL wlll
lncrease Lhe Lhermal reslsLance beLween Lhe componenL Lermlnal and Lhe C8. lf Lhls ls a
concern Lhen manufacLurlng wlLhouL Lhermal rellefs should be consldered. 1hls requlres larger
solderlng LemperaLures and should be dlscussed wlLh Lhe C8A manufacLurer prlor Lo C8
deslgn, as lL has Lo be accounLed for when decldlng Lhe solderlng Lechnology used, Lhe solder
alloy and Lhermal proflle.

6.4.7 Assemb|y draw|ngs and 8CM

AlLhough all Lhe lnformaLlon regardlng Lhe assembly process can be Lransferred Lo Lhe
C8A manufacLurer Lhrough CAM flles, assembly drawlngs are sLlll requlred Lo allow Lhe
manufacLurlng englneer Lo check Lhe placemenL and deLecL poLenLlal deslgn flaws. Assembly
drawlngs should be speclfled dlsLlncLly for each componenL placemenL sLep ln Lhe assembly flow
and should lnclude aL leasL:
- ComponenLs ouLllne
- 8eference deslgnaLors
- arL numbers
- Solderlng pads
llgure 8.19 lllusLraLes an example of an assembly drawlng. 8emember LhaL such
documenLs are addressed Lo an englneer noL a machlne, so Lhey should be easy Lo read and
undersLand. Choose Lhe amounL on lnformaLlon lncluded and Lhe color conLrasL Lo a level LhaL
makes Lhe documenL frlendly Lo Lhe user.

age 70 of 76

llg. 8.19 Assembly drawlng
1he assembly drawlngs should be accompanled by a blll of maLerlals (8CM) whlch can
lnclude addlLlonal daLa relevanL Lo Lhe C8A manufacLurer (package name, orderlng codes,
poLenLlal replacemenLs, 8CPS compllanL, maxlmum solderlng LemperaLure, eLc.).

6.4.8 C8 Assemb|y Spec|f|cat|ons

lor Lhe same reasons as Lhe C8 manufacLurlng speclflcaLlons, Lhe assembly
documenLaLlon should lnclude an assembly speclflcaLlons documenL. 1hls should lnclude any
requlremenL LhaL ls noL apparenL from Lhe resL of Lhe assembly documenLaLlon, such as:
- Solderlng alloy of cholce
- 8CPS speclflcaLlons
- Warnlngs abouL LemperaLure senslLlve componenLs
- ueLalls abouL componenLs requlrlng speclal LreaLmenL (manual solderlng, selecLlve wave
solderlng, sLlffenlng flller)
- CpLlcal lnspecLlon requlremenLs
- 1raceablllLy requlremenLs
- Any oLher daLa relevanL Lo Lhe assembly englneer

age 71 of 76
6.S Manufactur|ng f||es

1he compuLer alded manufacLurlng flles (CAM) should be accompanled by a CAM llsL,
speclfylng:
- llle name
- uaLa descrlpLlon (Lop layer, solder mask Lop, eLc)
- llle formaL (8S274u, 8S274x, eLc)
- llle formaL speclflcaLlon (unlLs, M.n, coordlnaLe mode, zero suppresslon, eLc)
lL ls recommended Lo generaLe and lnclude ln Lhe manufacLurlng documenLaLlon a ul
prlnLouL for each CAM flle, Lo allow a vlsual check of Lhe lmporL.
8emember Lhan manufacLurlng flles musL reach Lwo manufacLurers: C8 manufacLurer
and C8A manufacLurer, so Lwo dlsLlncL packs should be prepared.

6.S.1 Gerber

1he CAM pack for C8 manufacLurlng should lnclude Lhe followlng Cerber flles:
- Lach copper layer
- Solder mask Lop and solder mask boLLom
- Sllkscreen Lop and sllkscreen boLLom (lf used)
- asLe mask for each reflow process ln Lhe manufacLurlng flow. CauLlon: lf Lhe sLencll
may be manufacLured by Lhe C8 manufacLurer, ordered by Lhe C8A manufacLurer or
ordered by Lhe deslgner Lo a Lhlrd parLy. 1he recelver of Lhe pasLe mask Cerber flles
should be selecLed accordlngly.
- 8oard ouLllne
- urlll drawlng for plaLed and unplaLed holes

1he CAM pack for C8 assembly should lnclude Lhe followlng Cerber flles:
- 1op layer (lncludlng flduclal marks)
- asLe mask, lf necessary
- Sllkscreen for each populaLed slde (for opLlcal lnspecLlon)

6.S.2 NC Dr|||

1he nC drlll flles are only requlred by Lhe C8 manufacLurer. A dlsLlncL drlll flle should be
lncluded for plaLed and unplaLed holes.

6.S.3 |ck & |ace

1he plck and place flles are only requlred by Lhe C8A manufacLurer. Lach componenL
placemenL ln Lhe assembly flow requlres a dlsLlncL plck & place flle. Care musL be Laken Lo
ensure LhaL each componenL poslLlon reporLed ln Lhe plck & place flle ls locaLed ln Lhe cenLer of
Lhe componenL, noL on pln1 as Lhe componenL orlgln deflned by some CAu llbrarles.

6.S.4 1est o|nt keport

1he LesL polnL reporL ls requlred by Lhe manufacLurer of Lhe LesL flxLure for ln-clrculL
and/or funcLlonal LesL. 1hls ls usually managed by Lhe C8A manufacLurer, as LesL flxLures musL

age 72 of 76
maLch LesL equlpmenLs, Lo Lhe assembly pack should also lnclude a LesL polnL reporL for each
slde of Lhe board where LesL polnLs are used.

7. 1herma| cons|derat|ons

7.1 ower D|ss|pat|on

1he power ls dlsslpaLed on elecLronlc componenLs as heaL, whlch wlll lncrease Lhe
LemperaLure of Lhe componenLs and can cause low rellablllLy or even caLasLrophlc fallure of Lhe
sysLem. 1o avold Lhls, Lhe heaL produced by Lhe appllcaLlon should be evacuaLed lnLo Lhe
surroundlng envlronmenL wlLh a raLe LhaL wlll keep Lhe equlllbrlum LemperaLures below
dangerous Lhresholds.
1o accounL for Lhermal effecLs, Lhe average power dlsslpaLed on elecLronlc componenLs
should be flrsL calculaLed. noL all componenLs ln a clrculL should be consldered for power
dlsslpaLlon calculaLlon, buL Lhose operaLlng wlLh hlgh currenLs and / or hlgh volLage. Such
calculaLlons should be provlded by Lhe hardware deslgner based on Lhe speclflcs of each
componenL and slmulaLed operaLlng condlLlons.

7.2 neats|nks

ComponenLs wlLh hlgh power dlsslpaLlon requlre a heaLslnk and/or alr flow Lo lncrease
Lhe coollng raLe and avold Lhermal damage. 1o declde lf an lndlvldual componenL needs a
heaLslnk, Lhe [uncLlon-Lo-amblenL Lhermal reslsLance and Lhe maxlmum [uncLlon LemperaLure
should be consldered.
1he [uncLlon-Lo-amblenL (or [uncLlon-Lo-alr") Lhermal reslsLance ls deflned as:
_
junction ambient
J A
T T
K
Dissipated Power W
u

(
=
(

(9.1)

8ased on eq. (9.1) Lhe [uncLlon LemperaLure can be esLlmaLed. lf Lhls ls hlgher Lhan Lhe
maxlmum [uncLlon LemperaLure speclfled ln Lhe componenL daLasheeL Lhen a heaLslnk ls
requlred. An error margln of aL leasL 13 ls necessary, caused malnly by Lhe unreallsLlc way LhaL
!LuLC sLandards requlre for Lhe seLup of Lhermal reslsLance measuremenLs.
1he amblenL LemperaLure should be consldered on worsL case and should accounL for
maxlmum alr LemperaLure, enclosure slze and Lype, C8 poslLlon ln Lhe enclosure and many
oLher facLors. Such esLlmaLlons cannoL be done preclsely by hand calculaLlons and requlre Lhe
use of a compuLaLlonal fluld dynamlcs (Clu) slmulaLor such as 62'5%/07. lf such Lhermal
slmulaLlons are noL avallable, lL ls recommended Lo use a reference amblenL LemperaLure based
on prevlous measuremenLs wlLh slmllar enclosures and slmllar dlsslpaLed power.
1he cholce of Lhe approprlaLe heaLslnk should conslder lLs Lhermal reslsLance and Lhe
[uncLlon-Lo-case Lhermal reslsLance of Lhe componenL. lor an accuraLe predlcLlon of Lhe
heaLslnk efflclency a Clu slmulaLor should be employed.

age 73 of 76
7.3 Coo||ng Areas

Coollng areas are large copper areas LhaL can Lransfer heaL from Lhe Lermlnals and
Lhermal pads of Lhe componenLs Lo Lhe C8 and surroundlng envlronmenL. 1he efflclency of Lhe
coollng areas should be prevlously analyzed uslng Clu slmulaLlons Lo make sure LhaL lL can
provlde a Lhermal reslsLance low enough for Lhe efflclenL coollng of Lhe componenL.
Some general guldellnes relaLed Lo coollng areas should be consldered:
- 1hey should have a surface area as large as posslble and should be locaLed on mulLlple
layers
- lnLernal coollng areas should be Lhermally connecLed Lo aL leasL an exLernal coollng area
- lf Lhe coollng area ls locaLed on mulLlple layers, a large number of vlas should be placed
beLween Lhem, Lo allow an efflclenL heaL Lransfer
- Coollng areas should noL be locaLed underneaLh componenLs
- 1hermal rellef should noL be used for solderlng pads LhaL are used as coollng areas
- Coollng areas on exLernal layers should noL be covered by solder mask.

7.4 Current Carry|ng Capac|ty

1he maxlmum currenL a C8 Lrace can carry (or Lhe currenL carrylng capaclLy" or
ampaclLy") ls deLermlned by:
- Copper Lhlckness
- 1race wldLh
- Layer locaLlon (lnLernal / exLernal)
- Maxlmum LemperaLure dlfference allowed beLween Lhe Lrace and amblenL
- 8ouLlng denslLy
1he currenL carrylng capaclLy ls covered by Lhe lC-2132 sLandard, whlch glves
recommendaLlons regardlng Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween some of Lhose parameLers. As a rule of
Lhumb, Lhe charL presenLed ln flg. 9.1 can be used Lo esLlmaLe Lhe currenL carrylng capaclLy of 1
oz/sqf (33m) copper Lraces allowlng a 10 [k] overheaL on Lhe exLernal layers and 20 [k]
overheaL on Lhe lnLernal layers.

age 74 of 76

llg. 9.1 CurrenL carrylng capaclLy

1he above charL assumes a dense rouLed C8 wlLhouL any oLher heaL source ln Lhe
proxlmlLy. lease noLe however LhaL lC speclflcaLlons, rules of Lhumb and analyLlcal formulas
for currenL carrylng capaclLy are conLradlcLed by almosL any experlmenLal measuremenL. Llke
any Lhermal aspecL lL ls hlghly dependenL on many facLors ([usL roLaLlng Lhe C8 wlll change Lhe
LemperaLure slgnlflcanLly) and can only be predlcLed by Clu slmulaLlons.

age 73 of 76
8. ne|pfu| Ut|||t|es

8.1 IC73S1 Land attern Ca|cu|ator

Cne of Lhe mosL useful appllcaLlons around for C8 layouL englneers. 1hls has been boughL-ouL
by MenLor who now charge for Lhe producL.

No. Company 1oo| Ieatures Cost L|nk
1 C8 MaLrlx
Corp.
Land
aLLern
CalculaLor
Llbrary of sLandard componenL
geomeLrles
AuLo-generaLe new
componenLs
$$ Llnk

8.2 C8 Iabr|cat|on Wa|| Chart

1 Morrls
roducLlons
Wall CharL Shows C8 manufacLurlng
process
lndlcaLes sLandard mlnlmum
geomeLrles
lree Llnk

8.3 C8 Ca|cu|ators

1race lmpedance CalculaLors

1 ulLracad
ueslgn lnc.
C8 1race
CalculaLor
lull feaLured Lrace lmpedance
calculaLor Lool
$200 Llnk
2 olar
lnsLrumenLs
Sl8000m Plgh end fleld solver. Coal
seek.
$$$ Llnk
3 SaLurn C8 C8 1oolklL lanLasLlc uLlllLy for many C8
relaLed calculaLlons
lree Llnk

age 76 of 76
ower ulsLrlbuLlon neLwork Analysls (un) sofLware

1 ulLracad
ueslgn lnc.
uSl Sllck user lnLerface. user
frlendly, good comparlson
feaLure.
$73 Llnk
2 AlLera un 1ool LxcellenL full feaLured free
uLlllLy. SpreadsheeL lnLerface.
lree Llnk

Slgnal lnLegrlLy slmulaLor:

1 MenLor
Craphlcs
Pyperlynx Plgh end slgnal lnLegrlLy and
power analysls sofLware
$$$ Llnk

8.4 I||ter Se|ect|on S|mu|ator

1 MuraLa MLlSS SlmulaLes Lhe effecLs of chokes
and capaclLors
lree Llnk

8.S C|rcu|t S|mu|at|on 1oo|s

1 Llnear
1echnologles
L1 Splce Cood clrculL slmulaLlon Lool
wlLh slmple schemaLlc edlLor
lree Llnk
2 naLlonal
SemlconducLor
Web8ench AuLo-generaLe power supply
deslgns, ampllfler clrculLs,
fllLers eLc.
lree Llnk

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CopyrlghL 2014 LMC lasLass

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