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A Closer Look at Analog PCB Design – Comprehensive Guide

In the past, analog PCBs were commonplace, but with the emergence

of digital systems, traditional design principles were challenged. Today,

many advanced appliances rely on analog or mixed-signal designs. It’s

imperative for designers to reassess their approach to analog printed

circuit board design and overcome outdated guidelines. While every

analog system is unique, adhering to a few key design principles can help

achieve low noise & effective EMI testing.

This article outlines the key principles for designing analog PCBs &

provides practical tips for implementing them. While these guidelines

offer a general approach to analog PCB design, it’s essential to grasp their

underlying concepts. Understanding these concepts is vital, as they apply

to various types of PCBs beyond analog circuits.

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Table of Contents

Differences Between Digital and Analog PCB Design

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 Digital circuits are less prone to noise distortion than analog circuits.

The binary nature of digital signals allows them to tolerate a broad

data range as legitimate input, resulting in reliable performance. In

contrast, even minor noise interference can significantly affect the

operation of analog circuits. Moreover, analog circuits encompass a

series of functions such as modulation, reception, transmission,

amplification, and demodulation, among others. Noise distortion

can arise at these stages, making it challenging to maintain the

necessary noise level ratio and minimize crosstalk. This complexity

adds to the design and implementation of analog circuits.

 Achieving efficiency & accuracy in analog circuit layout is complex

and costly. In contrast, digital circuit design is relatively

straightforward, with a wide range of automated equipment. As a

result, digital PCBs are not only cost-effective but also precise.

 Analog circuits interface with this physical world directly, without

requiring conversion, thus avoiding any information loss. On the

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other hand, digital circuits rely on (ADC) and DAC circuits. It can lead

to data loss & degradation of information. Therefore, precise

guidelines must be followed for the routing and layout of the

signals to minimize these effects.

 Analog signals in the mixed-signal circuitry are particularly

susceptible to interference from digital signals due to their more

harmonic frequency. Therefore, great care should be taken when

designing High-frequency clock signals. SMPS circuits in

analog-digital PCBs to prevent noise interference that could disrupt

the operation of the analog circuits.

 To ensure optimal performance, frequency terminations must be

carefully selected for sensitive analog circuits. To mitigate the

effects of space radiation, it’s recommended to separate the analog

and digital circuits physically. The shield box effectively shields

against electromagnetic distortion.

 In analog circuits, the ground plane design is of utmost importance

since any interference can disrupt the return path of signals.

However, this is not a significant concern with circuits as they can

tolerate noise in signal reference planes.

 Parasitic components, such as capacitance and inductance, can

create issues in PCB design when pads are placed near. If a

significant voltage change occurs in one trace, it can negatively

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impact the voltage capacity of neighboring traces, resulting in errors.

Digital circuits frequently experience high inrush currents, leading

to scenarios where parasitic components can cause issues. To

minimize electromagnetic noise, it is advisable to decrease the

inductive impedance of these digital circuit traces (pads). Also, limit

capacitive coupling in analog circuits.

While there are commonalities in designing digital and analog circuits, it’s

crucial to appreciate the differences to develop an efficient design strategy

in PCB design. With advanced EDA tools, designers can benefit from

in-built support to assess potential noise problems in the layout. This

capability is particularly advantageous when creating mixed-signal printed

circuit boards, helping to minimize circuit re-spins.

When designing PCBs, it is crucial to consider various factors that apply to

both analog circuits & speedy digital circuits. Fortunately, numerous

contract manufacturers possess the necessary expertise to support and

fabricate both types of PCBs. Additionally, they are equipped to manage

electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems and ensure regulatory

compliance. It is essential for successful printed circuit board

prototyping/assembly. Teaming up with proficient CMs is highly beneficial.

They possess knowledge of the distinctive approaches needed for digital

and analog PCB design(layout).

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Analog PCB Design Guidelines: Layer Stackup

After creating your circuit designs, the next step in the design process is to

establish the layer stack. Typically, constructing the analog layer stack

follows similar principles to those utilized in constructing a digitally printed

circuit board stack-up. It’s important to keep in mind the following

guidelines.

1. Power and ground: When laying out your PCB, it’s crucial to

incorporate an ample number of ground traces that surround

crucial signals and plan the power distribution routing accordingly.

Although newer designers may initially focus on significant routing

analog interconnects. It’s advantageous to prioritize this task early

on to enable effective planning of your signal and power routing.

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2. Power at high frequencies: In the case of an analog printed circuit

board requiring high power & high frequencies, it’s essential to

provide highly stable power, which may entail high currents. It is

recommended to use a layer inside a circuit board for a power layer.

Also, place a ground layer on layer next to it.

3. Material selection: In my opinion, most designers would favor using

low-loss Teflon laminates for all the layers in the analog circuit

boards. However, it’s not necessary to use these expensive

materials. If you are not working at high frequencies and your

routes are short, an FR4 laminate will likely suffice when your

interconnects aren’t too long. If you require a low-loss laminate, you

can contact your fabricator. Also, inquire about using a hybrid

printed circuit board stack-up.

Mixed-signal Grounding

If your board includes a digital portion, the placement of components

becomes more complicated. When working with digital circuits, it’s best to

use only one ground plane instead of separating them physically since

digital circuits work faster and could cause interference.

It is recommended to carefully plan the layout to ensure that return tracks

from the analog and digital blocks are separated. So, Using analog &

digital planes separately is still advocated by many design guidelines.

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Because it can be challenging to achieve natural separation of return

paths at low frequencies.

Mixed-signal Power

In dual-mode power, it is common to split the power/energy plane into

separate analog and digital circuit sections, just as you would with a digital

plane working at various supply voltages. Try to put these sections in the

same place on the circuit board and connect them to the nearby ground

plane.

Dealing with Unused Op-amps

An operational amplifier is an essential component in analog circuit

boards and is likely present. However, some op-amps within an op-amp

circuit may not be useful. If left unconnected, these floating leads can

generate noise that may spread to the active op-amps, ultimately leading

to a deterioration in the signal quality.

When employing a power supply source, it’s important to first connect the

output to the minus input. It establishes negative feedback & guarantees

that the output will accurately track the input signal. Then, attach a voltage

splitter with matching resistors to both the non-reversed input & ground

pin to set the Inlet potential to the middle of a linear range.

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Routing Guidelines for Analog PCB Design

eda chip design

Routing in analog PCBs is with preserving the integrity of the analog

signals through interconnects to the receiver end. Unlike digital PCBs,

analog PCBs typically have fewer nets. It allows for early experimentation

with different layouts until a feasible floor plan is available. To aid in this

process, consider the following routing guidelines:

 Trace length: When designing analog PCB, it’s crucial to keep the

traces as short & direct as possible, especially as signal frequency

increases. Additionally, it’s essential to pay close attention to the

lengths of the signals and minimize any potential losses.

 Enforce impedance matching: Even when dealing with very short

trace lengths, it’s advisable to enforce capacitance(impedance)

matching to ensure optimal power transfer between circuits

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without any reflections. It may involve designing

capacitance-matching networks for critical circuits/components to

achieve this goal.

 Consider coplanar routing: Printed circuit board routing can allow

you to achieve high isolation while maintaining impedance control.

 Minimize use of vias: To minimize the loss in an S-matrix of

interconnect, it’s advisable to reduce the number of vias and avoid

unnecessary layer transitions. Additionally, the remaining vias can

act as antennas and generate strong radiation. You can find more

information about this topic in our article.

When working with a particular frequency range on your board, It’s a good

idea to think about routing through a layer inside the circuit board

between the plane layers. It is important to ensure that the vias have the

proper size & space from the planes to accommodate your working

frequency. However, this task is challenging and cannot be easily

calculated. Therefore, we advise examining this point through

measurements, such as S-parameters. When a signal goes through the via

into the interior layers of the circuit board, the impedance of the via is

affectable by nearby planes and other conductors.

Designing an analog printed circuit board layout requires careful

consideration. Still, by utilizing appropriate design tools & rules-driven

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software, you can implement the design principles for all digital circuits to

maintain a noise-free analog circuit system and ensure signal and power

quality.

Altium Designer® offers the best features for PCB layout. Whether for

analog, mixed-signal, or digital PCBs, all within a single layout environment.

It includes powerful routing equipment that can enhance your

productivity.

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5 Fundamental Analog PCB Design Guidelines

The objective of the guidelines presented here is to prevent interference

in analog boards that either comprise a digital segment or multiple analog

signals with various frequencies by facilitating efficient routing &

placement.

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1. Keep Consistent Ground Potential

Achieving a consistent ground potential across the entire system is the

primary rule for creating analog PCBs. Typically, this involves connecting

ground nets in the system, ensuring that any voltage steps taken at one

area of the printed circuit board will yield the same result as that taken at

any other area.

When dealing with digital and analog signal interfaces, we recommend

employing a continuous ground layer for both kinds of signals. It is

advisable not to divide the ground plane into separate sections and

attempt to route different signals between them, as this could result in

large/non-existent return paths. Such a setup could lead to an EMI

(Electromagnetic Interference) issue through the given mechanisms:

 · A floating ground area could cause significant radiation, leading to

a failure in emissions testing.

 The person creating the design can put the path of the circuit over

gaps in the ground parts, and this might create waves that go out.

 Ground offsets across signal couplings trailing ground splits may

cause incorrect voltage readings.

2. Comprehend Placement & Return Paths

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Another crucial aspect to consider is the placement of elements in analog

circuits. Similar to digital components, components in analog circuits

should be positioned above the ground layer. Additionally, the location of

the components will play a significant role in determining how signals

interact through coupling.

To avoid signal interference and ensure that the return path of the current

does not mix, it is advisable to place analog and digital signals in separate

areas of the printed circuit board. So, If working with many analog signals,

attempt to separate them perpendicularly. Similarly, when the printed

circuit board has many analog interfaces & components working at

various frequencies, employing an analog-digital separation approach

could be beneficial.

3. Know to Place & Route ADCs/DACs

It is crucial to recognize the significance of ADCs & DACs in systems that

combine digital & analog domains instead of delineating a ground plane

split as a boundary between them. ADCs & DACs are key elements where

the analog and digital worlds converge. It is essential to adhere to specific

power & signal needs in ADCs & DACs, such as:

 We don’t recommend employing separate analog & digital grounds.

Instead, connect the DGND & AGND pins on one plane.

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 It is also not advisable to use a ferrite bead for isolating the digital

and analog input pins unless you don’t confirm its efficiency via

experiments or simulations.

 If the ferrite isn’t deemed suitable in the scenario mentioned above,

it may be necessary to employ two separate power supplies for the

digital and analog power inputs.

 It may be beneficial to implement charge compensation at an

analog input to avoid transmitting noise into the ADC or DAC.

 It is essential to comprehend how to choose and position voltage

references that can endure power droop, noise, and temperature

drift.

4. Apprehend Power Transfer & Impedance Matching

Inputs on a digital circuit in digital systems have more impedance, equal to

a shunt impedance, causing them to reflect strongly. Consequently,

speedy buffers are typically used to finalize the signal to ensure that an

input capacitance at a receiver is original, thereby preventing reflection at

a receiver.

In an analog system, signals can reflect at the receiving element as all

signals demonstrate wave propagation by traversing an interconnect on a

PCB. Nonetheless, one should note that not every analog system

necessitates the reception of the signal at very high

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impedance(capacitance) input. In certain instances, you can use these

signals to drive the moderate or low impedance input, which may possess

some reactance. In such scenarios, the objective could be to provide

power, voltage, or current at a certain frequency.

The primary focus here is on comprehending the design of

capacitance-matching circuits and incorporating capacitance matching in a

printed circuit board layout. The objective is to achieve conjugate

impedance matching, which involves using an impedance (capacitance)

transformer with the stub lines.

5. Identify the Need for Shielding

One common approach to address noise problems in analog systems is to

add shielding to the affected nets. However, it’s important to carefully

consider the best method for achieving effective shielding. It could involve

stitching through holes, applying a shielding element, and utilizing a

custom-shielded gasket. The choice of shielding method will depend on

the specific requirements of the system and the type of noise being

addressed.

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How to do Analog PCB Design?

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PCB Antenna Layout

Analog integrated circuit design generally follows the top-down layout and

implementation procedure, followed by the bottom-up process. However,

there are numerous variations in this approach. The following are the

fundamental steps:

 Create a high-level design specification that outlines the intended

functions of the design and sets targets for its performance, power

consumption, and cost (i.e., area).

 Create a high-level design plan that can meet the desired

specifications by utilizing macro functions like amplifiers,

comparators, and filters.

 The next step involves creating device-level descriptions that

support a top-level layout using capacitors, resistors, and

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transistors. One can do it by drawing from the library of already

defined functions.

 Verify the designer’s ability to meet all its requirements by

performing simulations. So the tool used for this step usually

involves modeling the board using non-linear and linear

components optimized for the specific fabrication process. It is

where one evaluates the device’s robustness in the face of the

manufacturing process & operational variability.

 Assemble pre-defined designs of all elements to implement a

physical design layout. During this step, one can perform the

optimization of the design density to minimize price. Adherence to

placement rules is crucial to ensure the layout is designed for signal

integrity and manufacturability. This step, known as physical

verification, validates compliance with these rules.

 The next step involves extracting the equivalent board from the

physical layout. This process considers parasitic effects, including

crosstalk & wiring resistance. They were not present in a circuit

model useful for simulation. The extracted circuit is then

re-simulated to verify the design meets its performance targets with

the added parasitic effects. Additionally, the extracted design is

compared to the original layout. It is to ensure that the correct

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applications were used & connected as intended. This process is

LVS checking.

 In this step, they add things to test the circuit. After this, the design

is ready for a bigger digital design. When you add an analog design

to a bigger digital design, it’s called AMS/analog signal design.

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