This two day, lecture/demo course, focuses on practical design methods to optimize the stack up of circuit boards to achieve target values of characteristic impedance, cross talk and differential impedance, and how to verify these and other properties with TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer). The techniques taught in this course can be applied to all laminate substrates, including printed circuit boards, thick film ceramic, cofired ceramic, organic and ceramic BGAs, thin film multilayer substrates and on chip interconnects.

In this course, we review the tools and methodology that will enable you to accurately predict board performance, identifying the first and second order geometry and material factors that affect the electrical properties. We leverage four valuable tools: rules of thumb, approximations, field solvers, and TDR. Each of these is an important tool that should be in the toolbox of every engineer.

We illustrate that when accuracy is important, a 2D field solver is an essential tool. Using a very accurate, easy to use, commercially available field solver, we show how to use this tool to calculate the characteristic impedance, cross talk and differential impedance of many different cross sections. After this course, every participant will be immediately productive with a field solver. Students should bring their laptops to participate in the demos.

Using technques taught in this class, accurate values of the characteristic impedance, time delay, dielectric contant, near and cross talk, far end cross talk, differential impedance and common impedance of transmission line structures can be directly measured. Models are created for discontinuities such as vias, gaps in the return path, stubs and connectors. The important artifacts such as from the probes, cables, connectors and launch points are studied and techniques to minimize these problems are taught. The use of extraction software that greatly improves the accuracy and quality of high bandwidth models is demonstrated.

This is an introductory level course, suitable for all levels of engineers.

This class is taught by Dr. Eric Bogatin.