An 22-layer HDI PCB must accommodate dense BGA routing, high-speed signals, complex buried vias, and multiple power planes within strict manufacturing limits. When a design requires 0.10 mm microvias, deep buried vias, ±10% impedance tolerance, and a fixed board thickness, can these requirements be achieved without changing the original layout? Possibly, but not on assumption … [Read more…]
Use broadside coupled stripline when routing the two conductors on adjacent inner layers solves a real routing constraint, and only if the pair still meets its impedance requirement at the fabricator’s expected layer offset. If side-by-side routing fits, start with edge-coupled stripline: moving both conductors onto one signal layer removes one critical dependency on alignment … [Read more…]
Ceramic substrate mounting needs a defined load path, suitable support and a controlled thermal interface. Do not pull a bare ceramic circuit flat with screws or copy a packaged power module’s mounting torque onto an unqualified ceramic plate. A module housing or pressure system can distribute load in ways that a bare substrate does not. … [Read more…]
PDN antiresonance is an impedance peak caused by interacting paths in a power delivery network. Adding a capacitor can lower impedance at one frequency and raise it at another. Compare the complete impedance curve with the rail’s target band before deciding that a new part has improved decoupling. Ceramic decoupling capacitors grouped near a PCB … [Read more…]
You drop your phone, crack the screen, and start wondering how much it’ll cost to fix. When you compare repair prices, you might notice a big difference between devices or even similar repairs. So, why do phone repair costs vary so much? The answer comes down to several factors, including your phone’s model, the parts … [Read more…]
A microstrip is a planar transmission line with a conductor on an outer PCB surface and a reference plane separated by dielectric material. Keysight defines it as a thin conductive trace printed or etched on the top of an insulating substrate with a parallel ground plane on the other side. Because some electromagnetic field exists … [Read more…]
Tantalum capacitors are polarized electrolytic capacitors used for DC power filtering, local energy storage and supply decoupling. They provide relatively high capacitance in compact packages, making them useful when PCB space is limited and predictable capacitance under operating voltage matters. Growing demand for passive components has also brought tantalum capacitors into recent supply-chain discussions. At … [Read more…]
This specialized semiconductor packaging and testing companies list includes ASE Technology Holding, Amkor, JCET, Powertech, Tongfu, Huatian, ChipMOS, Hana Micron and UTAC. These providers operate in semiconductor back-end manufacturing: connecting and protecting dies, then testing devices against electrical requirements. Their portfolios differ across memory, logic, RF, power and multi-die integration. Choosing a provider starts with … [Read more…]
A pencil hardness test checks how a cured solder mask resists damage from a prepared graphite pencil. A useful result identifies the pencil grade, test method and damage endpoint. A dark graphite line is not automatically a scratch, and a hard surface does not prove that the coating is firmly bonded to the PCB. What … [Read more…]
The 1k resistor color code is brown–black–red–gold for a common four-band resistor with ±5% tolerance. A five-band version with ±1% tolerance uses brown–black–black–brown–brown. Both represent 1,000 Ω, also written as 1 kΩ or 1k0. Surface-mount versions may carry the marking 102 or 1001, while smaller packages may be unmarked. Once you identify the value, check … [Read more…]