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signal integrity

PTFE PCBs: Optimizing Electrical Performance

One might not have to look far to find PTFE in everyday life; a quick check of the stovetop or kitchen cabinet might do the trick. PTFE, short for polytetrafluoroethylene and more commonly known as Teflon, is a remarkable material due to its exceptionally low coefficient of friction that made “nonstick” pans a household name.…

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Low-ESR Capacitors Increase Power Integrity

Parasitics are a part of dealing with electronics: as much as engineers, designers, and manufacturers wish it were possible to work with ideal components, the real world has other plans. Mitigating these parasitic effects is the approach, and there’s a considerable effort at all stages of device DFM dedicated to tracking and compensating for parasitics…

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component orientation on pcb

Capacitor ESR: Selection and Detection

Capacitors are ubiquitous throughout a design for many purposes. From charge storing, signal smoothing, filter applications, and more, these components are often the most populated element on a board. The capacitance and voltage rating (to handle the expected voltage and any spikes) are the primary factors when selecting capacitors. However, a lesser heralded metric can…

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component orientation on pcb

Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing for Optoelectronics

Most electronic systems default to copper wire as the transmission medium, and for good reason: it’s highly conductive, readily machinable, and cost-effective. While copper’s applications are nearly universal, its performance can suffer at microwave frequencies and speeds well into the GHz range, where the skin effect causes current to concentrate towards the surface of the…

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The characteristic impedance of transmission lines starts with the board stackup.

FR4 PCBs: Substrates and Stackups

Designing a PCB starts with the circuit, but the days when the substrate material is an afterthought are long gone. Performance rests on the design’s mechanical, electrical, and thermal considerations, and substrates lacking one or more of these areas are likely to exhibit poor quality and reliability over the device’s service life. FR4 is an…

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ISO 13485 Certified Companies

An inherent risk when working with medical devices extends beyond general electronics concerns: defects and performance issues are more liable to cause personal injury. Given the possibility, medical manufacturing must strive for a higher standard than the general industry. ISO 13485 certification is the answer: by providing a foundation for exceeding competency goals while carefully…

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