PCB Layout: Pads & Vias

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Select the Right Microvia Aspect Ratio in Your HDI PCB

Select the Right Microvia Aspect Ratio in Your HDI PCB If you’re not familiar with PCB design or electronics in general, you probably wonder how newer electronics can pack so much functionality into progressively smaller devices. It takes more than just Moore’s Law, it takes creative PCB design methods to pack all that functionality into a single device. This gave birth to HDI design for densely packed circuit boards and small electronics, like smartphones and small form factor embedded systems. Vias Read Article

Laser-drilled Via-in-pad Technology in Your PCB

Laser-Drilled Microvia-in-Pad Technology in Your HDI PCB HDI PCBs with fine-pitch BGAs often use laser-drilled via-in-pad or microvia in-pad for BGA fanout routing. Here is how to design microvia-in-pad. Read Article

PCB Via Noise Coupling in Multilayer PCBs

PCB Via Noise Coupling in Multilayer PCBs Call me boring, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become tired of taking my dates to bars. Shouting over people just to get to know someone is not my idea of a great time. The funny thing is that as everyone else talks louder, I have to talk louder to compensate. This level of crosstalk creates a vicious feedback loop and does not make for a romantic evening. Vias are critical features in multilayer PCBs that are used to route connections between Read Article

Should You Use Thick or Thin FR4 for Your PCB Substrate?

Should You Use Thick or Thin FR4 for Your PCB Substrate? If you’ve ever made a pie with your kids, you know that the thickness of your crust is important. Too thin, and the pie falls apart into a mess of filling. Too thick, and you might as well be chewing on a loaf of bread. Getting the thickness just right is what makes a pie worth eating. Even though PCB substrate materials are non-conductive and do not carry current, the thickness of your FR4 PCB substrate determines the board's structural strength Read Article