X2Y Technology X2Y Comparative Decoupling Performance in 4 Layer PCBs
Four / Six Layer PCB Decoupling Challenges Cost and area are always major factors. Decoupling performance is determined by the transfer impedance at the IC attachment to the planes. Long average distance to planes yields high attachment inductance. This requires more vias and more decoupling capacitors to hit a given target Z. Wide plane separation yields high plane inductance. Capacitors must be closer to the ICs they support to yield target Z at the ICs. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 2
Mounted vs. Unmounted Decoupling Performance Decoupling performance is limited by the ESL of the capacitor, and the partial inductance of the attachment. Noise voltage at the planes is significantly higher than that measured at any decoupling capacitor. At high frequency insertion loss Zs / jw( ESL + Lattach ) A high ESL defeats a low Lattach, and vice-versa Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 3
X2Y, An Integrated Passive Circuit A L1 480E-12 G1 1 8 8 6 3 16 17 R1 4E-3 C1 56nF R3 2E-3 3 3 3 Lleaka 50E-12 7 K1 L1L2 Simplified 56nF X2Y capacitor model. 4 5 2 7 9 G2 R4 2E-3 Lleakb 50E-12 L2 480E-12 C2 56nF R2 4E-3 B X2Y capacitors are complex four terminal devices that combine two capacitors with an embedded, transformer. A and B terminals each couple to opposing transformer ends. When A and B terminals are connected for decoupling, the apparent inductance is limited to leakage from imperfect coupling. Materials and dimensions support effective operation into the GHz. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 4
X2Y Circuit 2, Versus Ordinary Capacitors Lattach 350pH ESR 10E-3 ESL <100pH C3 112nF 12 11 10 X2Y 0603 Capacitor on 4 Layer PCB Lattachx 950pH ESRx 10E-3 ESLx 450pH C4 100nF 14 13 15 Typical 0603 Capacitor on 4 Layer PCB The apparent ESL of an X2Y capacitor is a small fraction of the ESL of an ordinary 0603 capacitor. Mounted ESL for an X2Y on a 4/6 layer PCB is completely dominated by the attachment inductance, but still remains far below that of an ordinary 0603 capacitor. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 5
4 Layer PCB Test Setup Tests determine the mounted decoupling performance of X2Y and competing technologies on a representative 4 Layer PCB test section. The PCB is FR-4 with an overall thickness of 0.062, with two inner layers (solid copper planes) that have a copper weight of 1 ounce, 0.012 and 0.050 from the component surface, and a nominal Er of 4.6 at 1MHz. The test PCB is small: 1.2 by 1.2 that allows capacitor evaluation to 400MHz and beyond. Capacitors are constrained to a small area to ensure position independence. SMAs connect to the PCB power and ground layers. s21 Loss Evaluated with an HP 8753E Vector Network Analyzer s21 measurements are converted to impedance with the following*: s21 = 20log 10 Z DUT 25Ω Z DUT 21 20 = 25 10 Ω s * David M.Pozar, Microwave Engineering, Addison-Wesley, (1990), p 236. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 6
Decoupling Test Fixture Model Ccap 100nF 11 13 Lcap ESL Rcap ESR Discrete capacitor 12 14 L2 Lattach/2 L3 Lattach/2 Via partial inductance O1 CABLE R1 Rsect L1 Lsect 2 17 17 3 1 2 2 2 7 9 15 15 I1 2 R7 50 R9 Rsect L8 Lsect Cplane Csect 6 4 5 6 6 6 8 10 6 R10 Rsect R11 Rsect L9 Lsect L10 Lsect O3 CABLE R6 50 16 16 Y1 volts 4 Layer Test PCB Since Csect << Ccap, Ccap may be accurately derived from s21 loss at F << Ccap SRF. The combined Lattach and Lcap may be accurately determined from Ccap and the SRF. We derive Ccap from s21 loss at 2MHz. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 7
0603 Test Board The 0603 test boards have 12 different via/land configurations to measure components using various mounting practices. Note: best data results for X2Y and normal capacitors is shown. X2Y Cap (circuit2) Normal Cap * A Transmission-Line Model for Ceramic Capacitors for CAD Tools Based on Measured Parameters, Larry D Smith, David Hockanson, Krina Kothari, Published in Conference Record, Electrical Components Technology Conference (ECTC), San Diego, CA, pp. 331 336, May 2002. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 8
The 0603 test boards were developed to show accurate bypass capacitor performance to 400MHz Bare Board 0.5 λ λ Upper frequency of interest, 400MHz 0.75λ Board λ is approximately 1/( 4 GHz ) allowing accurate lumped approximations up to 400 MHz. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 9
Location Dependency To verify location independence. We compared results from a normal geometry 0603 capacitor in both center and outside locations on the PCB. Note that position #2 vias are almost directly in-line with the SMA connectors. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 10
Location Dependency 100 Transfer Impedance 4Layer PCB, 0603 Site #1 versus 0603 Site #2, 1 via / pad Each Site 10 Ohms 1 0603 100nF #1 1 via / pad 0603 100nF #2 1 via / pad 0.1 0.01 1 10 100 1000 Frequency (MHz) Results from each location are almost indiscernible up to 400MHz. Test location does not impact measured results. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 11
DUT Decoupling Performance X2Y vs. Conventional and Low Inductance Capacitors X2Y 1206 0.18uF* (0.36uF total, circuit2) AVX IDC 0612 0.47uF X2Y 0603 56nF* (112nF total, circuit2) Reverse Aspect ratio 0508 100nF Normal 0603 100nF Reverse Aspect ratio 0612 100nF *Note: X2Y capacitors consist of two Y capacitors, and are rated based on the capacitance of a single Y capacitor. When used for decoupling, both Y caps appear in parallel, yielding a capacitor with 2X the single Y capacitor value.. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 12
X2Y 0603 vs. Conventional 0603 Capacitors 4 Layer PCB Transfer Impedance 0603 vs. X2Y 0603 100 Conventional 0603, 2 vias 799mΩ @ 100MHz 10 Ohms 1 Conventional 0603, 4 vias, 556mΩ @100MHz 0603 100nF #1 1 via / pad 0603 100nF #3 2 via / pad X2Y 0603 56nF #6 0.1 X2Y 6 vias 260mΩ @100MHz 1 2 6 0.01 1 10 100 1000 Frequency MHz A single X2Y 0603 capacitor exhibits a mounted transfer impedance of just 260mΩ at 100MHz compared to 799mΩ for a conventional 0603. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 13
Transfer Impedance, Linear Scale 4 Layer PCB Transfer Impedance 0603 vs X2Y 0603 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 Ohms 0.6 0.5 0.4 0603 100nF #1 1 via / pad 0603 100nF #2 2 vias / pad X2Y 0603 56nF #6 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95 Frequency MHz Linear scale representation indicates noise level in volts, and underscores the 3X mounted bandwidth of an X2Y versus conventional capacitors. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 14
X2Y Advantages One X2Y 0603 capacitor w/ 6 vias total = 260mΩ @ 100MHz, and outperform: Three conventional 0603 capacitors w/ 6 vias total, 266mΩ @ 100MHz or Two conventional 0603 capacitors w/ 8 vias total, 278mΩ @ 100MHz. X2Y capacitors translate to: Fewest Components Fewest Vias Best Decoupling Performance X2Y concentrate attachment vias. This usually simplifies placement and signal routing. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 15
X2Y vs. Reverse Aspect Ratio Capacitors Transfer Impedance 4 Layer PCB, Reverse Geometry vs. X2Y 0508 100nF #12 0603 100nF #2 2 vias / pad 0612 100nF #10 X2Y 0603 56nF #6 100 10 0508 0612 Ohms 1 0603 4 via 0612 0.1 X2Y 0603 0.01 1 10 100 1000 Frequency, MHz On a 4 layer PCB, reverse geometry capacitors even with 6 vias each perform similarly to an 0603 w/ only 4 vias. Reinforcing mutual inductance between adjacent vias impose diminishing returns and limit Lattach to relatively high values. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 16
X2Y vs. IDC Capacitors 4 Layer PCB Transfer Impedance 0603 vs. IDC 0612 vs. X2Y 0603, X2Y 1206 100 10 Conventional 0603 Ohms 1 IDC 0612 0603 100nF #1 1 via / pad IDC 0612 470nF #4 X2Y 0603 56nF #6 X2Y 1206 180nF #3 X2Y 0603 0.1 X2Y 1206 0.01 1 10 100 1000 Frequency MHz An X2Y 0603 with 6 vias outperforms an IDC 0612 with 8 vias. An X2Y 1206 with 8 vias significantly outperforms an IDC 0612 with 8 vias. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 17
Mounted Inductance Comparisons Inductance from SRF 1600 1400 1378 1200 Inductance ph 1000 800 600 967 940 864 0603 100nF #1 1 via / pad 0508 100nF #12 0603 100nF #2 2 vias / pad 0612 100nF #10 IDC_0612_0.47uF_#4 X2Y 0603 56nF #6 438 436 400 200 0 0603 100nF #1 1 via / pad 0508 100nF #12 0603 100nF #2 2 vias / pad 0612 100nF #10 IDC_0612_0.47uF_#4 X2Y 0603 56nF #6 Mounted inductance of one X2Y 0603 is better than 3X ordinary 0603s with the same number of total vias. Mounted inductance of X2Y 0603 is better than IDC 0612, while consuming 25% fewer vias. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 18
Summary of 0603 4 Layer Board Data Mounted inductance determines the high frequency performance of decoupling capacitors. X2Y capacitors provide the lowest mounted inductance of any capacitor type. X2Y capacitors require the fewest total vias of any decoupling solution. Just one X2Y 0603 w/ 6 vias is a better than replacement for any: 3) 0603 capacitors, 6 vias, 2) 0603 capacitors, 2 vias / pad, 8 vias total, 2) 0508, or 0612 reverse geometry capacitors, 8-12 vias, or 1) 0612 IDC capacitor, 8 vias. The X2Y performance advantage improves with higher layer count boards, allowing one X2Y to replace even more conventional parts and vias. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 19
Shunt Measurement Large Body X2Y Capacitors Larger X2Y Capacitors A set of test boards is used to show the performance of larger size X2Y components. X2Y 0805 100nF (200nF total, circuit2) X2Y 1210 100nF (200nF total, circuit2) X2Y 1206 100nF (200nF total, circuit2) X2Y 1812 1uF (2uF total, circuit2) X2Y 1206 0.18uF (0.36uF total, circuit2) Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 20
Inductance Versus Package Size Whereas ESL increases with package size in ordinary capacitors, the X2Y integrated passive circuit, IPC, ESL arises from leakage inductance and does not increase significantly with package size. Large body X2Y parts afford lower Lattach, resulting in lower mounted inductance than smaller devices. High ESL Medium ESL Low ESL High ESL Medium ESL Low ESL Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 21
0805 / 1206 / 1210 / 1410 / 1812 / 2220 Test Boards The test boards have 10 different via/land configurations to measure components using various mounting practices. Note: best data results is shown. X2Y Cap (circuit2) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Normal Cap 8 9 Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 22
100 Transfer Impedance 4 Layer PCB, X2Y 0805, 1206, 1210, 1812 X2Y 0805 / 1206 / 1210 / 1812 10 Ohms 1 0.1 X2Y 0805 100nF #2 X2Y 1206 100nf #3 x2y_1210 _0.1uF_#6 x2y_1812_1uf_#8 0.01 0.001 1 10 100 1000 Frequency (MHz) Even large X2Y devices exhibit very low impedance at high frequency. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 23
Summary of large X2Y data With proper via patterns, large X2Y capacitors exhibit equal or better mounted inductance as compared to industry leading 0603 X2Ys. An 1812 X2Y mounted on a 4 layer board demonstrates better high frequency performance than four ordinary 0603 capacitors in parallel. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 24
Conclusions X2Y capacitor s ultra-low inductance afford unmatched decoupling performance, even on 4/6 layer PCBs where Lattach strongly dominates. X2Y capacitors for decoupling translate to: Fewest decoupling capacitors, Fewest decoupling capacitor vias, Lowest component costs, Lowest assembly costs, Improved performance, Improved reliability, from fewer parts and better decoupling. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 25
Further Resources: Si_List The tests were developed after comments about X2Y Technology in actual applications by an independent consultant Steve Weir on the signal integrity reflector si_list. The full thread discussion is highlighted at the links below. Thread Subjects: 1) Re: Bypass Capacitor Selection 2) Re: Power Supply Distribution/Filtering/Decoupling Guide Post# Link: 10323 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/message/10323 10326 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/message/10326 10329 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/message/10329 10352 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/message/10352 10358 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/message/10358 Main Post Pages: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages/10288 Information about the si_list: http://www.si-list.org Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 26
Acknowledgements X2Y Attenuators, LLC would like to thank Steve Weir of Steve Weir Design Engineering, Petaluma CA for the test board development and layouts shown in this presentation. Steve has over 25 years industry experience, holds numerous patents, and is a frequent contributor to the si_list. Steve may be contacted via e-mail at: weirspde@comcast.net. Apr-04 X2Y Attenuators, LLC 27