Impedance Controlled Boards
Reliable and Efficient Signal Transmission.
The increasing complexity and speed of electronic circuits create a need for controlled impedance, and this design is not just a matter of technical precision—controlled impedance matching is a must for achieving consistent signal performance and minimizing signal distortion. Proper impedance matching ensures that every signal propagates with minimal loss, reflections, or interference, which allows these electronic devices to function properly.
The Candor Advantage
Candor uses Polars CITS500s Controlled Impedance Test System, with which system we are able to determine the characteristic impedance of traces to ensure products meet customer standards. Candor can reach up to 2% tolerance of impedance controlled traces thanks to Panel Plating and Continuous Foil Lamination.
01
Uniform Plating
Candor uses a panel plating process that gives uniform plating across all boards which is needed for uniform signal propagation, keeping impedance tolarances withing required levels.
02
Dielectric Layer Consistency
To get a smooth and consistent dielectric layer Candor uses continuous foil lamination with induction heating to maintain temperature across B-Stage pre-pregs. This results in a consistent dielectric layer thickness, allowing for uniform signal propagation with minimal track impedance variation.
Why Choose Impedance controlled boards?
Applications of Impedance Control
Impedance Control should be considered when dealing with high speed/frequency digital and analog circuits. Designers specify these types of PCBs whenever the edge speeds of digital signals are faster than 1ns, or analog signals climb above 300MHz. It can be vital for enhancing signal quality and reducing signal degradation, ultimately enabling reliable and seamless operation of various electronic systems.
Think of controlled impedance as the linchpin that holds the intricate web of high-speed data communication together, ensuring that signals arrive where they should be on time.
Impedance Controlled Boards are needed when dealing with:
- High-Speed Digital Signals
- High-Frequency Analog Signals
- Minimizing Signal Loss and Crosstalk
- Precision in Transmission Line Behavior
use case by industry
Automotive
Impedance-controlled boards are used in automotive electronics to ensure seamless communication between critical systems like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), sensors, and engine controls in modern vehicles. With high-speed data transfer, they minimize signal loss, ensuring safety, efficiency, and reliability.
Aerospace
High-frequency applications like radar, navigation, and communication systems rely on signal accuracy and reducing all possible errors is essential. With extreme environmental conditions, these boards maintain signal integrity, ensuring mission-critical performance and system reliability.
Telecommunications
Telecommunication systems depend on controlled impedance to enable high-speed data transfer across networks. These boards optimize signal quality and minimize degradation, critical for 5G infrastructure, data centers, and wireless communication devices.
Consumer Electronics
In consumer electronics, controlled impedance supports fast data transfer in devices such as smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles. It ensures minimal interference and high-quality performance, enabling seamless user experiences and meeting the demand for advanced technologies.
FAQ
What is impedance control in PCBs?
Impedance control is the process of matching PCB locations and trace dimensions with the unique properties of the substrate material. This ensures that the strength of the traveling signal is within the required range. As device switching speeds increase, engineers are confronted with signal integrity problems—this means that most devices will face SI issues eventually.
PCB traces cannot be treated as a simple point-to-point connection. Engineers now consider traces to be transmission lines, and impedance matching is necessary to lessen and hopefully eliminate the impact on signal integrity. Good design practices and innovative approaches lessen signal integrity issues, mitigating problems and creating more stable PCBs.
Why is impedance control important in PCB design?
Controlled impedance isn’t just a matter of technical precision—it’s necessary for achieving consistent signal performance and reducing signal integrity issues. This fundamental aspect of modern PCB design is pivotal in ensuring efficient signal transmission and reliability, reducing interference, preventing loss and reflections, and allowing technologies and electronic devices to function as intended.
Aerospace, telecommunications, automotive, and consumer electronics all benefit from improved impedance control, which is vital for enhancing signal quality and reducing signal degradation. Constantly improving the capabilities of impedance control improves PCB design as a whole, ensuring that products are faster, safer, and more reliable.
What are common applications that require impedance-controlled boards?
We have established that impedance control is essential to signal integrity in PCBs, especially for high-frequency usage. Many high-frequency applications such as computers, phones, digital and analog telecommunications, tablets, video game consoles, and more have extremely complex designs that require controlled impedance to protect data from damage and provide a clear signal.
The significance of controlled impedance:
- Regulates the flow of electricity in the PCB.
- Controls the electrical flow as the device requires.
- Stabilizes the signal integrity in complex designs.
- Stabilizes high-frequency signals.
- Ensures maximum signal integrity in PCBs.