Models for understanding sources, quantification and mitigation of crosstalk.

Crosstalk in PCB and packaging interconnects is arguably one of the most complicated phenomena that may cause signal degradation. It is caused by unwanted coupling between signal links and between signal links and power distribution systems. The effect is deterministic, but very difficult to predict in many cases – too many variables and uncertainties. Crosstalk effects can be treated statistically as a deterministic jitter with a bounded distribution, but the distribution is usually not known and just guessed.

A direct analysis of a worst-case crosstalk scenario may lead to a system overdesign. Neglecting it in design may cause a system failure that is difficult to find and fix later in a design process. On top of that, distortions caused by crosstalk cannot be corrected by signal conditioning techniques at the receiver side. Thus, it is very important to understand the sources of crosstalk, how to quantify it and how to mitigate it efficiently. This is the first part of the paper with an overview of crosstalk sources and terminology – just a slice through the complicated phenomenon. The second part will describe and compare different ways to quantify, compute and measure crosstalk. This paper continues the "How Interconnects Work" series.^1-4

Design and manufacturing considerations for HDI PCBs.

High-density interconnect (HDI) technology has been a major enabler of advancement in the electronics industry, providing the dense interconnections and intricate circuitry needed to create state-of-the-art electronic devices that are tightly packed with miniaturized components and 2.5-D/3-D semiconductor packages.

Miniaturization at the semiconductor level has driven miniaturization at the PCB level, with manufacturers striving to shrink the size of devices while maintaining or enhancing their capabilities. This has led to the development of compact smartphones, slim laptops, and wearable gadgets that seamlessly blend into our daily lives (Figure 1). Alongside miniaturization has been a constant push for faster processing speeds. As technology evolves, the processing power of electronic devices has skyrocketed, enabling quicker data processing, seamless multitasking, and smoother user experiences.

EMA founder Manny Marcano lays out his strategy for untethering methodology and technology.

EMA Design Automation has for years been exclusive distributor of Cadence’s OrCad products in North America and Europe. Through acquisitions and internal development EMA now has a series of its own software products for library management, component supply chain data, and other areas.

Late last year EMA announced it would spin off those CAD-agnostic products into a standalone company.

We spoke in January with Manny Marcano, president and founder of EMA, on the PCB Chat podcast. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Copper can conduct current and heat, but board materials conduct only heat.

Most PCB designers have had at least some exposure to electrical engineering principles and fundamentals. For example, they have some understanding and a working knowledge of such things as current, voltage, power, resistivity and resistance. But most designers have had almost no exposure to thermodynamics. And thermodynamic fundamentals are very relevant when it comes to such things as determining how much current a trace can carry (and how hot it will get), how to cool a heated component's pad, and what role a copper plane might have in distributing heat across a board, for example.