Anthony Fellbaum
Senior FAE and BDM - Canada, Samtec
C h a p t e r 2
When creating PCBs designed to handle
signals up to 112 Gbps PAM4, engineers
face monumental challenges that may
be extremely difficult to solve. In fact,
engineers could solve one challenge but
create a new one in the solution they
develop. From getting data out of a
silicon device to having those data arrive
at their destination, high-speed signals
bring grief at every stage of the journey.
Signal frequency is by far the biggest
factor in signal integrity. As the frequency
of a signal increases, that signal can
radiate energy through emissions (which
itself causes challenges with nearby
electronics), be susceptible to the
skin effect, become more susceptible
to reflections, and even capacitively
couple with other nearby traces more
easily. Therefore, impedance control is
an essential task for engineers when
designing high-speed signal paths so that
signal integrity is maximized and losses
are minimized.
When operating at such high speeds,
engineers should take note of every
UNDERSTANDING COMMON
CHALLENGES TO ROUTING
HIGH-SPEED SIGNALS
The most common way to improve
signal integrity is to upgrade your
PCB materials, but, failing this,
CDRs and retimers can be used.
However, these solutions are often
expensive and difficult to integrate,
which is where Samtec Flyover
®
systems become beneficial."
9
Samtec Flyover
®
Solutions Break Next-Gen System Architecture Constraints
