10.1 Layout Guidelines

Circuit board layout and stack-up for the LVDS serializer and deserializer devices must be designed to provide low-noise power feed to the device. Good layout practice also separates high frequency or high-level inputs and outputs to minimize unwanted stray noise pickup, feedback, and interference. Power system performance may be greatly improved by using thin dielectrics (2 to 4 mils) for power or ground sandwiches. This arrangement provides plane capacitance for the PCB power system with low-inductance parasitics, which has proven especially effective at high frequencies and makes the value and placement of external bypass capacitors less critical. External bypass capacitors must include both RF ceramic and tantalum electrolytic types. RF capacitors may use values in the range of 0.01 µF to 0.1 µF. Tantalum capacitors may be in the 2.2-µF to 10-µF range. Voltage rating of the tantalum capacitors must be at least 5x the power supply voltage being used.

Surface-mount capacitors are recommended due to their smaller parasitics. When using multiple capacitors per supply pin, place the smaller value closer to the pin. A large bulk capacitor is recommended at the point of power entry. This is typically in the 50-µF to 100-µF range and smooths low frequency switching noise. TI recommends connecting power and ground pins directly to the power and ground planes with bypass capacitors connected to the plane, with vias on both ends of the capacitor. Connecting power or ground pins to an external bypass capacitor increases the inductance of the path.

A small body size X7R chip capacitor, such as 0603, is recommended for external bypass. Its small body size reduces the parasitic inductance of the capacitor. The user must pay attention to the resonance frequency of these external bypass capacitors, usually in the range of 20 to 30 MHz. To provide effective bypassing, multiple capacitors are often used to achieve low impedance between the supply rails over the frequency of interest. At high frequency, it is also a common practice to use two vias from power and ground pins to the planes, reducing the impedance at high frequency.

Some devices provide separate power and ground pins for different portions of the circuit. This is done to isolate switching noise effects between different sections of the circuit. Separate planes on the PCB are typically not required. Pin description tables typically provide guidance on which circuit blocks are connected to which power pin pairs. In some cases, an external filter may be used to provide clean power to sensitive circuits such as PLLs.

Use at least a four-layer board with a power and ground plane. Place LVCMOS signals away from the CML lines to prevent coupling from the LVCMOS lines to the CML lines. Closely-coupled differential lines of 100 Ω are typically recommended for LVDS interconnects. The closely coupled lines help to ensure that coupled noise appears as common mode and thus is rejected by the receivers. The tightly coupled lines also radiate less.

10.1.1 WQFN (LLP) Stencil Guidelines

Stencil parameters such as aperture area ratio and the fabrication process have a significant impact on paste deposition. Inspection of the stencil prior to placement of the LLP (WQFN) package is highly recommended to improve board assembly yields. If the via and aperture openings are not carefully monitored, the solder may flow unevenly through the DAP. Stencil parameters for aperture opening and via locations are shown in Figure 42 and Figure 43.

Figure 42. No Pullback LLP, Single Row Reference Diagram

Table 18. No Pullback LLP Stencil Aperture Summary for DS92LV0421 and DS92LV0422

DEVICE	PIN COUNT	MKT DWG	PCB I/O PAD SIZE (mm)	PCB PITCH (mm)	PCB DAP SIZE (mm)	STENCIL I/O APERTURE (mm)	STENCIL DAP APERTURE (mm)	NUMBER OF DAP APERTURE OPENINGS	GAP BETWEEN DAP APERTURE (Dim A mm)
DS92LV0421	36	SQA36A	0.25 × 0.6	0.5	4.6 x 4.6	0.25 × 0.7	1.0 × 1.0	16	0.2
DS92LV0422	48	SQA48A	0.25 × 0.6	0.5	5.1 × 5.1	0.25 × 0.7	1.1 × 1.1	16	0.2

Figure 43. 48-Pin WQFN Stencil Example of Via and Opening Placement

Information on the WQFN style package is provided in Leadless Leadframe Package (LLP) Application Report (SNOA401).

10.2 Layout Example

The following PCB layout examples are derived from the layout design of the LV04EVK01 Evaluation Module. These graphics and additional layout description are used to demonstrate both proper routing and proper solder techniques when designing in the serializer and deserializer pair.

Figure 44. DS92LV0421 Serializer Example Layout

Figure 45. DS92LV0422 Deserializer Example Layout