High Speed PCB Design
by NWES
We're a PCB layout services company with extensive experience designing and creating layouts for high speed boards. We've built custom computer peripherals, wearables, IoT devices, and much more. In addition to high speed PCB design and layout services, we provide embedded systems development services for our clients.
We're passionate about advanced technology and we're dedicated to helping you take your new products to market quickly. Whether you're a small startup with a great idea or a large enterprise, we'll take your design from idea to full-scale manufacturing. We look forward to working with you!
- Learn more about our expertise in the PCB industry.
High Speed PCB Design Capabilities
We Build Advanced Digital Products
Today, every digital circuit board runs at high speed. We build the advanced high speed electronics companies rely on to build competitive digital products. As high speed PCB experts, we designand manufacture complex digital systems that push the limits of modern electronics. We target advanced applications that other firms struggle to design and build, and we’ll ensure your new system will be fully manufacturable at scale.
- Dense, high-layer count, high speed layout and routing expertise
- Layout and routing for standard high-speed digital interfaces: DDR3/4/5, mulit-Gbps SerDes, PCIe, MIPI standards, etc.
- Aggressive form factor, lower layer count PCBs with multiple high speed interfaces
- Stackup construction and DFM expertise for high speed digital products
- Mixed-signal layout in products with wireless protocols
Success in High Speed PCB Design
High speed PCB designs become more difficult to work with as edge rates and signal bandwidths increase. Some PCB layer stack design steps and basic signal integrity analysis on the front end can help prevent product failure on the back end. We engage with our manufacturing partners early to help reduce your risk and get your design through production to bring you the most value:
- Materials and PCB stackup - Many SI/PI/EMI problems and routing difficulties in high speed PCB design originate for an inadequate stackup. We start by looking at the PCB stackup to ensure successful layout and routing.
- Main processor selection - Digital systems rely on some compute provided by the main processor in the system. These critical components must be identified and their layout should be planned to ensure ease of routing and proper location of peripherals.
- Signal integrity - Interconnect impedance, defining interface routing and loss/length requirements, and planning routing channels will all aid signal integrity in the final product. Pre-layout and post-layout simulations can be used to design and verify some aspects of interconnect performance.
- Power integrity - Stackup design will also influence power integrity as digital systems require highly stable DC power with minimal transient response to ensure signal integrity.
- Design for manufacturing (DFM) - Digital systems can be very dense and can push a design into the HDI regime. DFM requirements as specified by a manufacturer should be determined early and implemented in the design application.
Application Areas
Our clients push the speed limit in digital systems with advanced designs and technology. Our high speed PCB design expertise is critical to keeping our clients competitive. Some of the application areas where we operate include:
- Aggressive form factor boards with multiple high-speed peripherals
- Embedded systems for advanced applications like edge computing, embedded AI, sensor fusion, and data center
- High-reliability computing products for mil-aero, Space 2.0, industrial systems, and robotics
- Modular products: backplanes and daughtercards, computer/systems on module, expansion card products
To help you successfully transition you from concept to product, we work with our network of manufacturing partners to produce your high speed digital design at scale while staying compliant, sourcing efficiently, and ensuring high yield. Our process gives a fully manufacturable design that can be produced anywhere.
Some example application areas and their broad design requirements are listed in the table below. Many of these design requirements are common to digital systems in other application areas.
| Application Area | Design Requirements |
|---|---|
| Data Center | • Materials vary by form factor and inteface requirements • Multiple high-speed computing protocols (PCIe, Gbps Ethernet, SerDes, DDR3+, etc.) • May be built as expansion card products, rack-mount, or custom form factor • Typically built around an MPU or custom application processor, but FPGAs are becoming more popular |
| IoT Products | • FR4 laminates (Standard or advanced low-loss preferred) • Highly integrated MCU, MPU, or FPGA • Low-layer counts (usually 4-8 layers) • One or more high-speed differential protocols (usually USB and Ethernet or PCIe Gen2) • Low power requirements • May integrate with one or more wireless protocols or analog interfaces |
| Edge Computing | • Low-loss FR4 allowed, Rogers or equivalent sometimes preferred • Multiple high-speed computing protocols (PCIe, Gbps Ethernet, SerDes, DDR3+, etc.) • Typically built around an MPU or custom application processor, but FPGAs are becoming more popular • High layer counts (at least 10) • Aggressive form factor with thermal management challenges |
| Sensor Fusion | • Materials vary by sensor requirements and interface requirements • Moderate to high layer counts (usually at least 6, can be as high as 12-16) • System control typically based around a large MPU, SoC, or an FPGA • Multiple digital and analog interfaces used to collect and transmit sensor data • High data rate uplinks may be required • Interfaces include DDR, PCIe, CSI, multiple low-speed, and analog up to mmWave |
| Embedded Industrial Products | • Materials vary by form factor and inteface requirements • Products include SBCs, CoMs, SoMs, expansion/accelerator cards, and baseboards • Multiple high-speed computing protocols (PCIe, Gbps Ethernet, SerDes, DDR3+, etc.) • Typically built around an MPU or custom application processor, but FPGAs are becoming more popular • Many of these systems come with thermal management challenges or exposure in harsh environments |
| High-speed Backplanes | • Rogers, Arlon, Taconic, Megtron, or equivalent • High layer counts (18 or more layers typical) • Multiple high speed digital protocols (max. baud above 10 Gbps) • High power requirements (approximately 100 A is typical) • Multiple single-ended and differential protocols routed between daughter cards • Rugged construction with modular form factors |
| Mil-Aero & Commercial Space | • Materials vary by form factor and reliability requirements • Drive for greater interoperability has made FPGAs and SoCs more popular • Modular form factors, often as multi-board PCB systems • Rugged assembly, ESD (MIL-STD-461 and/or DO-160), IPC Class 3/3A qualification • Design requirements may overlap with above areas |
Our High Speed PCB Design Process
We help you streamline the design process, reduce risk, and produce a design that can scale to high volume production.- Contact us for a consultation and quote.
- We'll take your functional requirements, begin schematic capture, and design the PCB layer stack to support high speed PCB routing.
- Interconnect impedance targets and routing requirements are developed to ensure signal integrity, power integrity, and EMI/EMC compliance.
- After qualifying your stackup and finalizing material requirements, we'll build your high-speed PCB layout.
- We perform a final DFM/DFA check and any other required evaluation before sending you a complete PCB manufacturing deliverable package.
Why Work With NWES?
- Broad expertise - We're a digitally-driven remote-first organization with diverse talent and experience. We know your technology because we've used it and built it.
- Manufacturing partners - We work with local and overseas CMs and EMS providers that are ISO-9001, AS9100, ISO-13485, IPC-A-610, NADCAP, and/or ITAR/JCP certified. We help you find the best option to produce prototypes and scale to volume production.
- Supply chain management - We take a proactive approach on projects to ensure your design can be produced at the required volume. We'll manage procurement from major distributors or brokers throughout your project.
Need a hand with a current or future PCB design project? Find out the difference our experts can make.
Contact us today for more information.
Our Clients and Partners
