Practical PCB Layout Design Techniques

This course is specifically tailored for engineers intending to develop reliable pcbs with an emphasis on mixedsignal circuits (analog, digital, rf) and high-speed signaling standards such as spi, hdmi, and usb2. 0/usb3. 0. Lectures are interlaced with hands-on practical to maximize learning effectiveness. 

Proper PCB (Printed Circuit Board) layout and routing are vital for signal integrity of high speed and sensitive electronic circuits. Failure to adhere to layout and routing rules, guidelines, and recommendations could easily compromise the electromagnetic compatibility of a system, or at worst preventing it from working entirely.

Course highlight

• Participants will have practical experiences developing real-world, high-speed, mixed-signal PCBs using EDA tools.

What You Will Learn

• PCB terminology, structure and material
• PCB manufacturing process
• PCB design methodology
• PCB stack-up
• Transmission lines
• Signal classification and circuit segregation
• Component placement and trace routing
• Power supply and distribution network
• Effective low noise PCB design techniques
• Design techniques for analog, digital, RF, flash memory, Gigabit differential pairs

Who Should Attend

• This course is particularly suited for engineers responsible for designing and verifying low-noise, digital, highspeed, RF, and/or mixed-signal PCBs.

Prerequisite

• Participants are required to have a background in electronics and/or electrical engineering. Experience with EDA tools, particularly schematic capture and PCB layout tools, would be beneficial.

Course Methodology

• This course is presented in a workshop style with example-led lectures interlaced with hands-on practical for maximum understanding.

Course Structure
Day 1 (1st half, 3.5 hours)

• The Basics of PCB
• PCB terminology
• PCB structures, materials, component packages
• PCB manufacturing process
• Trend and challenges of PCB design
• Component selection, BOM management and PCB cost
• Vendor selection
• Quality control and yield improvement
• PCB design methodology, planning and consideration
• PCB design process with Virtual Prototyping

Day 1 (2nd half, 3.5 hours)

• Trace Impedance Control & PCB Layer Stack-up Assignment
• Electrical behaviours between short and long traces
• Controlling characteristic impedance of transmission lines
• Proper assignment of layer stack-up for achieving good signal and power integrity
• Types of signals and layer selection
• The good and bad of different types of PCB stack-up - Standard, Sequential and HDI

Hands-on Session

• Understand the impact of short and long PCB interconnects to signals
• Implement trace impedance control
• Create PCB layer stack-up for good signal and power integrity
• Component placement and trace routing exercise using CAD

Day 2 (1st half, 3.5 hours)

• Transmission Lines Termination, Net Sequencing and Return Current Design
• Transmission lines termination schemes (series, parallel, RC, etc.)
• Termination schemes and net sequencing
• Return current design - why signals radiate to space
• Split in reference plane
• Stitching capacitors
• Return current jumps planes
• Effective return current design between main board and sub-card

Crosstalk, Ground Guard & Shielding, Power Supply & Distribution Network, Decoupling Capacitor

• Design techniques for minimizing crosstalk
• Ground guard critical signal traces
• Shielding of critical signal traces and board edge
• Case study - layout and routing of a DC-DC converter
• Power distribution network - designing stable power supply and reference voltage
• Placement and routing of decoupling capacitor

Day 2 (2nd half, 3.5 hours)

• Circuit Classification & Layout Partitioning, Isolation of I/O, EMC Filter
• Circuit classification & layout partitioning according to signal function and RF bandwidth
• Isolation of I/O with moat or bridging
• EMC filter (Shunt-Series, Series-Shunt, T, PI, Common-mode filters) layout and design
• Connector pin assignment for minimizing current loop area

Hands-on Session

• Understand the importance of transmission line termination
• Witness the radiation level from a transmission line, with and without continuous return path
• Calculate amount of crosstalk versus separation between traces
• Witness crosstalk measurement in coupled microstrip lines
• Component placement and trace routing exercise using CAD

Day 3 (1st half, 3.5 hours)

• Layout Techniques for Digital, Analog, Flash Memory, Differential Signaling, RF/Microwave
• Differences among Analog, Digital and RF PCBs
• Analog & Digital signals – Video, Audio, Flash Memory, SPI, DAC, ADC,MII
• Differential signals – USB2/USB3, HDMI,Ethernet
• RF/Microwave circuits – VCO

Day 3 (2nd half, 3.5 hours)
Hands-on Session:

• Component placement and trace routing exercise using CAD