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Multi-Layer PCBs & Layer Stackup
Layer Stackup Design

Reduce noise and improve signal timing, even on the most complex boards.

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Multi-Layer PCBs & Layer Stackup

How to Design and Fabricate a 4-Layer PCB Stackup with Altium Designer How to Design and Fabricate the Best 4 Layer PCB Stackup with Altium Designer Among multi-layer stackups, four-layer stackups are probably the most common type of PCB stackup. Four-layer stackups allow for high-speed routing, integration of high power, and multiple signal layers where needed. In instances where routing islands need to be carved out above different ground or power regions in the PCB, four-layer stackups give you enough space with ground planes to implement such strategies. Although four-layer PCB stackups Read Article
PCB ground plane design PCB Ground Plane Best Practices in Your Multilayer Stackup Learn all about proper use of a PCB ground plane and grounded copper pour in your design. You’ll ensure signal integrity and low EMI with correct PCB ground plane placement. Read Article
Your Complete Guide to Circuit Board Thermal Analysis Your Complete Guide to PCB Thermal Analysis The physical properties of your PCB substrate and copper conductors are the main factors determining how a circuit board will heat up during operation. Circuit board thermal analysis techniques aim to predict when and where a board will heat up during operation, as well as how hot the board will get. This important part of the analysis is geared to ensure component-level and board-level reliability, and it can influence many design decisions Read Article
PDS Impedance: The Traditional Approach To PDS Design vs. Energy Flow PDS Impedance: The Traditional Approach To PDS Design vs. Energy Flow Take a look at traditional PDS impedance versus the “energy flow” view of PDS design. We’ll debunk misleading information that could cause your designs to fail. Read Article
Developing a PCB Testing Procedure For New Designs Developing a PCB Testing Procedure For New Designs Before your new device comes off the fabrication line, it will need to go through a comprehensive PCB testing procedure. Here’s how to create a PCB testing procedure for new boards. Read Article
Comparison of PCB Material Properties for High Speed Design and HDI Boards Comparison of PCB Material Properties for High Speed Design and HDI Boards Looking for a PCB material comparison chart? Take a look at our comparison of PCB material properties for your next high speed or HDI PCB. Read Article
PCB impedance calculator PCB Stackup and Trace Impedance Calculator in Altium Designer There are many demands placed on PCB stackup design. High-speed designs carry a requirement for controlled impedance, crosstalk control, and the need for interplane capacitance. Impedance in your traces becomes a critical parameter to consider during stackup design for high-speed PCBs, but the stackup will also influence crosstalk susceptibility and sheet capacitance between ground and power planes. While you can work out many of these details by Read Article
The Benefits of High-Dk PCB Materials The Benefits of High-Dk PCB Materials The terms “high-speed design” and “low-Dk PCB laminate” are often used in the same articles, and often in the same sentence. Low-Dk PCB materials have their place in high speed and high-frequency PCBs, but high-Dk PCB materials provide power integrity. Low-Dk PCBs are typically chosen as they tend to have lower loss tangent. Thus high-DK PCB materials tend to get overlooked for high speed and high-frequency PCBs. When we look at power integrity Read Article
Designing a multi-layer stackup in Altium Designer 21 Designing a Four-layer PCB Stackup With No Plane Capacitance At first glance, it might seem that designing a 4-layer PCB should be an easy task, but just like any other board, it requires the right kind of layout and stack-up. Kella Knack gives as an expert advise on how to successfully design Multi-layer stack PCBs. Read Article
An Overview Of PCB Outer Layer Processing An Overview Of PCB Outer Layer Processing Expert Kella Knack describes in detail the fabrication of the PCB outer layer. Read and learn about how different vias are formed and the steps involved in the multilayer build-up process. Read Article
Top Tips from Experienced Flex Designers Top Tips from Experienced Flex Designers Fabrication: In general, advice given about flexible circuit fabrication is split between knowledge of the fabricator and their process, and communication. Knowledge of the printed circuit board fabrication process is not as common as it once was, and this is even more apparent with the subtleties of flex manufacturing. Understanding the manufacturing process helps to illuminate areas that are more challenging for fabrication, as well as areas Read Article
PCB Design in Altium Designer with Differential Data Transfer Differential data transmission lines usage can be challenging for even experienced designers. First you need to be familiar with the Watch Video
Power plane return path Power Plane and Ground Planes: Should You Use Your PCB Power Plane as a Return Path? Power planes (sometimes called a power layer) and ground planes are important for more than just distribution of supplying power. When defining reference planes, both with impedance controlled routing and in managing return paths, your stackup might force return currents to pass into a PCB power plane before being coupled back to a ground layer. Even though you define a GND reference layer as a the basis for your impedance-controlled trace width Read Article
High Performance Sub 1GHz RF Project High Performance Sub 1GHz RF Project This week, I’m building a high-performance sub-1GHz transceiver that I want to use as a standalone Internet of Things node using the ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller. As with my other projects, this project is open source and published on GitHub for you to use as the basis of your own design, or to use as-is. The RF schematic and layout are production proven, as are the microcontroller schematic and all footprints on the board. However, do keep in Read Article
Follow Your Multilayer Ground Return Path to Prevent EMI Follow Your Multilayer Ground Return Path to Prevent EMI Following the path back to ground can quickly become complex in a complicated multilayer PCB. When your PCB has a small layer count (e.g., a 4-layer board with two plane layers), it becomes rather easy to determine the return path and deliberately design it to prevent EMI. The situation becomes more complicated when you’re working with higher layer counts. Multiple plane layers and conductors can form the ground return path, even if the conductor Read Article
58:21 Multi-Board Design Basics in Altium Designer® Watch Video
46 Customizable Layer Stack Table Place and customize a layer stack table including width, text, and alignment directly in your PCB workspace. Watch Video