Appendix A:

100+ PCB Design

Guidelines to Minimize
Signal Integrity Problems

By Eric Bogatin
signalintegrityacademy.com
 Eric Bogatin is
currently the Dean
of the Teledyne
LeCroy Signal
Integrity Academy.
Additionally, he is an
Adjunct Professor
at the University of Colorado – Boulder
in the ECEE dept, where he teaches a
graduate class in signal integrity and is
the technical editor of the new journal,
Signal Integrity Journal.

For more tips, tricks, design guidelines

and signal integrity principles,
visit: www.signalintegrityacademy.com

© 2019 Teledyne LeCroy, Inc. All rights reserved.

ii Signal Integrity Academy

Table of Contents

Warnings.............................................. iv
Minimize Signal Quality
Problems on One Net......................... 1
Minimize Cross Talk ......................... 8
Minimize Rail Collapse .................. 14
Minimize EMI ................................... 18

Signal Integrity Academy iii

 Warnings:

Never follow a rule blindly.

Always understand its origin
and assumptions, and put in the
numbers to evaluate its cost/benefit
for your specific design. It’s always
a good habit to implement a design
feature if it improves performance
and is free.

If a design guideline will cost extra,

you must estimate the impact to
evaluate whether it is worth it.

iv Signal Integrity Academy

Warnings:

Always use rules of thumb or

approximations to initially estimate
a performance impact. If the result
raises a flag or is close to a concern,
this is motivation to pay extra to use
a numerical simulation for a more
accurate analysis.

Never use a rise time shorter than

you need to, consistent with meeting
timing budgets.

Signal Integrity Academy v

 Minimize Signal Quality
Problems on One Net

Strategy: Keep the instantaneous

impedance the signal sees
constant throughout its
entire path.

Tactics:
0. Use controlled impedance traces.

1. Ideally, all signals should use the

Vss or gnd planes as their return
planes so there is an option of
placing return vias to reduce
plane resonances.
2. When a signal transitions from
one return plane to another, if it is
free, add a return via in as close
proximity as practical.
3. To eliminate plane resonances,
place shorting vias no farther
than 1/6 a wavelength of the
lowest frequency that might
resonant. This is a spacing in
inches ~ 1/(f in GHz)

1 Signal Integrity Academy

4. If different voltage planes are
used as signal references, there
should be tight coupling between
the different voltage planes
by keeping as thin a dielectric
thickness between the layers as
you can afford.
5. If different voltage return planes,
add multiple, low inductance
decoupling capacitors between
the different voltage planes
when a signal transitions.
This will be the best of bad
alternatives.
6. Use a 2D field solver to calculate
the stack up design rules for the
target characteristic impedance.
Include the effects of solder
mask and trace thickness.
7. Use series termination for point
to point topologies, either single
or bidirectional if it is consistent
with timing analysis.
8. Terminate both ends of the bus
in a multi-drop buss.

Signal Integrity Academy 2

 9. For data rates above about
2 Gbps, only point to point
routing will work.
10. Keep the TD of stubs less than
20% the rise time of the fastest
signals.
11. Place the series terminating
resistors as close to the package
pads as possible.
12. Use flyby termination for far end
termination
13. Best termination of all is on-die
termination.
14. Don’t worry about corners
unless 10 fF of capacitance is
important.
15. Follow the return path of each
signal and keep the width of the
return path under each signal
path at least as wide as the
signal trace, and preferably at
least 3 times as wide.
16. Route signal traces around
return path discontinuities rather
than across them.

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17. Avoid using engineering change
wires in any signal path.
18. Keep all non uniform regions as
short as possible.
19. Do not use axial lead terminating
resistors for system rise times
less than 1 nsec. Use SMT
resistors and mount them for
minimum loop inductance.
20. When rise times are less than
150 psec, do everything possible
to minimize the loop inductance
of the terminating SMT resistors,
or consider using integrated or
embedded resistors
21. Vias generally look capacitive.
Minimizing the capture pads and
increasing the antipad clearance
diameter will help make the via
look transparent.
22. Consider adding a little
capacitance to the pads of a low
cost connector to compensate
for its typically higher
inductance.

Signal Integrity Academy 4

 23. Route all differential pairs with a
constant differential impedance.
24. Avoid all asymmetries in a
differential pair. Whatever you do
to one trace, do the same to the
other.
25. If the spacing between the
traces in a differential pair has
to change, adjust the line width
to keep a constant differential
impedance.
26. Add a compensation length to
the short line in a differential pair
in proximity to where the length
asymmetry is created.
27. It is ok to change the coupling
in a differential pair as long as
the differential impedance is
maintained.
28. In general, route differential pair
traces with as tight a coupling as
practical for highest interconnect
density and lowest cost.

5 Signal Integrity Academy

29. If data rates are above 5 Gbps
or long lines, consider loosely
coupled to enable wider lines
and lower loss.
30. Broadside coupled differential
pairs are rarely better than
edge coupled. To use broadside
coupled, you need a very
compelling reason.
31. For any board level differential
pairs, there will be significant
return current in the planes,
so avoid all discontinuities in
the return path. If there is a
discontinuity, do exactly the
same thing to each line in the
pair.
32. The only case to worry about
terminating the common signals
is if the common mode rejection
ratio of the receiver is poor
or if the reflecting common
signals affect the eye quality.
Terminating the common signals
will not eliminate the common
signal, just minimize its ringing.

Signal Integrity Academy 6

 33. If losses are important, use as
wide a signal trace as possible
and never less than 5 mils.
34. If losses are important, keep
traces as short as possible.
35. If losses are important, do
everything possible to minimize
all capacitive discontinuities.
36. If losses are important, engineer
the signal vias to look like
100 Ohms differential
impedance, which usually
means do everything possible
to decrease the barrel size,
decrease the capture pad
size and increase the antipad
clearance holes.
37. Never use non-functional pads
on the via pad stack.
38. If losses are important, use as
low a dissipation factor laminate
as you can afford.
39. Consider using pre-emphasis
and equalization if losses are
important.

7 Signal Integrity Academy

Minimize Cross Talk

Strategy: Minimize mutual

capacitance and mutual
inductance between
adjacent signal-return
path pairs.

Tactics:
40. For transmission lines, keep the
spacing between adjacent signal
paths at least twice the line
width for microstrip or stripline.
41. Minimize any discontinuities in
the return path the signals might
cross over.
42. If you have to cross a gap in the
return path, only use differential
pairs. Never cross a gap with
single ended signals routed
close together.

Signal Integrity Academy 8

 43. Don’t fool your self into thinking
a capacitor is a low impedance
interconnect structure. Its
impedance will look like a 1-2 nH
inductor above 10 MHz. It makes
a poor “short” across a gap.
44. For surface traces, keep the
coupled lengths as short as
possible and use as much solder
mask as practical to minimize
far end cross talk.
45. If far end cross talk is a problem,
add a laminate layer to the top of
the surface traces to make them
embedded microstrip.
46. For long coupled lengths when
far end cross talk may be a
problem, route the traces
in stripline.
47. If you can’t keep the coupling
length less than the saturation
length, changing the coupling
length will have no impact on
the near end cross talk, so don’t
worry about decreasing
coupling length.

9 Signal Integrity Academy

48. Use the lowest dielectric
constant laminate you can
afford so the dielectric spacing
to the return planes can be kept
to a minimum for the same
target characteristic impedance.
49. In a tightly coupled microstrip
bus, the deterministic jitter
can be reduced by keeping the
spacing at least as wide as twice
the line width or routing timing
sensitive lines in stripline.
50. For isolations in excess of
-60 dB, use stripline with
guard traces.
51. Guard traces can often make
cross talk larger in surface
traces unless the traces are
very short.
52. Always use a 2D field solver to
evaluate whether you need to
use a guard trace.

Signal Integrity Academy 10

 53. If you do use a guard trace in
stripline, make it as wide as will
fit and use vias to short it to the
return path and spaced at least
3 vias per rise time.
54. Minimize ground bounce by
making the return paths in any
packages or connectors as short
and as wide as possible.
55. Use chip scale packages rather
than larger packages.
56. Minimize ground bounce in the
power return path by bringing
the power plane as close to the
return plane as possible.
57. Minimize ground bounce in the
signal return paths by bringing
the signal path as close to
the return path as acceptable,
consistent with matching the
impedance of the system.
58. Avoid using shared return paths
in connectors and packages.

11 Signal Integrity Academy

59. When assigning leads in a
package or connector, reserve
the shortest leads for the ground
paths and space the power and
ground leads uniformly among
the signal paths, or closest to
those signal paths that will carry
a lot of switching current.
60. All no-connect leads or pins
should be assigned as ground
return connections.
61. Avoid using resistor SIPs unless
there are separate return paths
for each resistor.
62. Check the Gerbers to verify anti-
pads in via fields do not overlap
and there is a well defined web
between clearance holes in the
power and ground planes.

Signal Integrity Academy 12

 63. If a signal changes reference
planes, the reference planes
should be as closely spaces
as you can afford. If you use
a decoupling capacitor to
minimize the impedance of the
return path, its capacitance
value is immaterial. Select it
and design it in for lowest loop
inductance.
64. If many signal lines switch
reference planes, space the
signal path vias as far apart as
possible, rather than clustering
them all in the same location.
65. If a signal switches reference
layers, and they are the same
voltage level, place a via between
the return planes as close to the
signal via as possible.

13 Signal Integrity Academy

Minimize Rail Collapse

Strategy: Minimize the impedance

of the power distribution
network.

Tactics:
66. Minimize the loop inductance
between the power and
ground paths
67. Allocate power and ground
planes on adjacent layers with
as thin a dielectric as you
can afford.
68. Get the lowest impedance
between the planes by using
as high a dielectric constant
between the planes as you
can afford consistent with the
thinnest dielectric possible.
69. Use as many power and ground
plane pairs in parallel as you
can afford.

Signal Integrity Academy 14

 70. Route the same currents far
apart and opposite currents
close together
71. Place each power via as close as
practical to a ground via. If you
can’t get them at least within a
pitch equal to their length, there
will be no coupling and no value
in proximity.
72. Route the power and ground
planes as close as possible
to the surface where the
decoupling capacitors are
mounted.
73. Use multiple vias to the same
power or ground pad but keep
the vias as far apart as possible.
74. Use vias as large in diameter as
practical when routing to power
or ground planes.
75. Use double bonding on power
and ground pads to minimize
the loop inductance of the
wire bonds.

15 Signal Integrity Academy

76. Use as many power and ground
connections from the chip as
you can afford.
77. Use as many power and ground
connections from the package
as you can afford.
78. Use chip attach methods that
are as short as possible, such as
flip chip rather than wire bond.
79. Use package leads as short as
possible, such as chip scale
packages rather than QFP
packages.
80. Keep all surface traces between
the pads of the decoupling
capacitors and their vias as
short and wide as possible.
81. Use a total amount of bulk
decoupling capacitance to take
over from the regulator at low
frequency.
82. Use a total number of
decoupling capacitors to reduce
the equivalent inductance at
high frequency.

Signal Integrity Academy 16

 83. Use as small a body size
decoupling capacitors as you
can afford and minimize the
length of all connections from
the capacitor pads to the power
and ground planes.
84. Place as much decoupling
capacitance as you can afford
on the chip itself.
85. Place as many low inductance
decoupling capacitors as you
can afford on the package.
86. Use differential pairs for I/Os.

87. The ONLY way of estimating the

values and number of capacitors
is using a simulation that
includes the on-die capacitance
and package lead inductance.
88. If you don’t have any information
about the package or chip, select
capacitors and numbers to
provide a flat impedance profile
from 1 MHz to about 50 MHz.

17 Signal Integrity Academy

Minimize EMI

Strategy: Reduce the voltage that

drives common currents,
increase the impedance of
the common current paths,
shield and filter as a band
aide.

Tactics:
89. Reduce ground bounce by
providing a low impedance,
continuous return path
under all signals, especially
surface traces.
90. Keep all traces at least 5 line
widths from the edge of
the board
91. Route traces in stripline
when possible.

Signal Integrity Academy 18

 92. Place the highest speed/highest
current components as far from
the I/O connections as possible.
93. Place the decoupling capacitors
in proximity to the chips to
minimize the spread of high
frequency current components
in the planes. Don’t fool yourself
into thinking capacitors provide
low impedance above about
100 MHz.
94. Keep power and ground planes
on adjacent layers as close
together as possible.
95. Use as many power and ground
plane pairs as you can afford.
96. When using multiple power and
ground plane pairs, recess the
power planes and stitch shorting
vias between the ground planes
along the edges.
97. Use ground planes as surface
layers, where possible.

19 Signal Integrity Academy

98. Know the resonant frequency
of all packages and change the
package geometry if there is an
overlap with a clock harmonic.
99. Avoid signals switching different
voltage reference planes in a
package. This will drive package
resonances.
100. Add ferrite filter sheets to the
top of packages if they might
have a resonance.
101. Minimize any asymmetries
between the lines in each
differential pair.
102. Use a common signal choke
filter on all differential pair
connections that leave
the board.
103. Use a common signal choke
filter around the outside of all
peripheral cables.
104. Filter all external I/O lines to
use the longest signal rise time
that is tolerable for the
timing budget.

Signal Integrity Academy 20

 105. Use spread spectrum clock
generator to spread the
first harmonic over a wider
frequency range and decrease
the radiated energy within the
bandwidth of the FCC test.
106. When connecting shielded
cables, try to keep the shield as
an extension of the enclosure.
107. Minimize the inductance of the
shielded cable connections to
the enclosure. Use a coaxial
connection right to the end of
the cable and connecting to the
enclosure.
108. Never use a pigtail connection
between the cable shield and
the chassis.
109. Equipment bays should not
penetrate the integrity of the
enclosure.
110. Only interconnects need to
break the enclosure integrity.

21 Signal Integrity Academy

111. Keep apertures small diameter,
significantly smaller than
a wavelength of the lowest
frequency radiation that might
leak. More smaller holes are
better than fewer large holes.
112. The most expensive rule is the
one that delays the product
ship date.

Signal Integrity Academy 22

 Appendix-A-PCB-2019

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