AN644: Si47xx Layout Guidelines

AN644
S i477 X L AYOUT G UIDELINES
1. Si477x QFN 6x6 mm Schematic and Layout
This section describes the application schematic and layout required for optimal Si477x performance.
1.1. Front-End Schematic
37.20
L3
150NH
C22
NP
RF
C9
62PF
RF
6
3
4
RF
1NF
C8
RF
L1
220NH
C25
NP
C7
2.2NF
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
NC
FMXIP
FMXIN
GNDRF
RFREG
FMO
FMI
NC
NC
AMI
RF
C26
NP
C11
NP
11
12
C10
18PF
A0
A1
GND_PAD
41
RF
T1
1:1
2
RF
L2
47NH
1
FMAGC1
FMAGC2
40
39
38
C6
10UF
J29
RF
RF
L9
10NH
J1
FM ANT
ESD_DIODE
D1
SMA_EDGE
RF
C24
NP
RF
RF
C27
NP
J33
AM ANT
RF
R1
0R
SMA_EDGE
RF
ESD_DIODE
D2
RF
JP1
AIRLOOP ANT
J36
NP
5
GND
1
4
0R
RF
J35
R4
R5
3
T2
SILABS
SL755TF01
J37
0
C23
ESD_DIODE
D3
C13
0.1UF
0
NP
NP
RF
RF
Figure 1. Si477x FM/AM Front-End Schematic
Rev. 0.3 8/13
Copyright © 2012 by Silicon Laboratories
AN644
AN644
1.2. Front-End Layout
The following layout rules are used:
Layer
1 top side component placement and analog signal routing
Layer 2 solid ground plane
Layer 3 digital signal routing
Layer 4 solid ground plane
Power routed by trace
0402 component size or larger
6 mil traces
6 mil trace spacing
15 mil component spacing
Figure 2. Four-Layer PCB Stackup
Figure 3. Si477x FM/AM Front-End Layout
2
Rev. 0.3
AN644
1.3. FM Front-End
1.3.1. FM Front-End
ESD diode D1 protects against external antenna ESD events. Place D1 close to the antenna connector. Choose
diodes with minimum parasitic capacitance, such as the Tyco Electronics PESD0402-140 (0.25 pF).
Series inductor L9 (10 nH) suppresses EMI.
The AM loading capacitor, C10 (18 pF) ac-couples the antenna to the input network and resonates with the
inductor L3 (150 nH).
The FM input (FMI, Pin 7) matching network consists of L2 (47 nH), C9 (62 pF), and AGC-controlled internal
resistor banks FMAGC1 (Pin 40) and FMAGC2 (Pin 39). Place these components close to the FMAGC1/2 pins to
minimize trace inductance. Connect FMI using two vias and a trace on PCB Layer 2.
Connect the LNA output (FMO, Pin 6) to the RF regulator (RFREG, Pin 5) using L1 (220 nH). Place L1 and RF
regulator bypass capacitor C7 (2.2 nF) close the RFREG pin.
Connect the LNA output through ac-coupling capacitor C8 (1 nF) to input of T1, the external FM balun. The two
outputs of the balun are connected to FM mixer inputs (FMXIP, Pin 2 and FMXIN, Pin 3).
Shunt Capacitors C11,C22, C24, C25, and C26 are placeholders for filtering caps on the EVB. They may not be
required in actual application.
Components should be placed close to the IC to minimize trace lengths.
All front-end ground connections should be to a common system ground. Alternatively, an RF ground plane should
be connected to system ground by a shield or large copper fill.
1.3.2. AM Front-End
The schematic shows two paths to the AM input (AMI, pin 10). The path originating with J33 is used on the
evaluation board for conducted testing and is not needed as part of the true application circuit. The path originating
from JP1 assumes a loop antenna will be used. JP1 is connected to an external AM transformer (T2).
The output of the transformer is ac coupled to the AMI input pin through a 0.1 uF capacitor (C13).
Ensure R5 is populated for loop antenna reception and J35 is shorted for conducted tests. The output of C13 is
connected to the AMI input pin. Components should be placed close to the IC to minimize trace lengths.
Shunt Capacitors C23 and C27 are placeholders for filtering caps on the EVB. They may not be required in actual
application.
Rev. 0.3
3
AN644
1.4. System Interface Schematic
37.209375MHZ
X1
GPIO_3
GPIO_2
3.2x2.5
C6
10UF
C12
NP
ROUT
LOUT
VA
4
RF
NC
FMXIP
FMXIN
GNDRF
RFREG
FMO
FMI
NC
U1
SI477X
NC
AMI
BLEND
DCLK
DFS
DOUT
QOUT
IOUT
IQFS
IQCLK
VIO2
DBYP
C2
2.2NF
C21
0.1UF
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
XIN
XOUT
DCLK
DFS
DOUT
QOUT
IOUT
IQFS
IQCLK
VIO2
C5 2.2NF
C3
2.2NF
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
A0
A1
GND_PAD
41
NF
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
DCLK2
DOUT2
RSTB
SDA
SCL
INTB
VIO1
VD
6
FMAGC1
FMAGC2
GPIO1
GPIO2
DACREF
XTAL1
XTAL2
ROUT
LOUT
VA
40
39
38
37
36
35
34
33
32
31
C1
100PF
C20
10UF
C4
2.2NF
VD
J29
J32
VIO1
INTB_1
SCL
SDA
RSTB_1
V_PGM
D_0
GPIO_1
GPIO_0
Figure 4. Si477x System Interface Schematic
4
Rev. 0.3
AN644
1.5. System Interface Layout
The layout for the system interface is shown in Figure 5. The following sections discuss the components of this
layout.
Figure 5. Si477x System Interface Layout
1.5.1. Bypassing
The analog supply VA (Pin 25) requires three parallel bypass capacitors: C1 (100 pF), C2 (2.2 nF), and C21
(0.1 µF). Place these capacitors as close as possible to the VA pin, with the 100 pF capacitor closest to the pin.
Place a via connecting the VA pin and the capacitors to the system VA supply such that the capacitors are closer to
the Si477x VA pin than the via. Connect all three capacitors to the surrounding ground fill with wide, low-inductance
traces and vias. See Figure 6.
Rev. 0.3
5
AN644
DACREF bypass capacitor location
VA supply VIA location
VA bypass capacitor location and
ground fill
Figure 6. Si477x VA Supply Bypassing Layout
The voltage reference for the audio DAC (DACREF, Pin 36) requires a 10 µF capacitor (C6) to ground. Both VA
and DACREF bypassing should be connected to the system ground plane.
The digital supply VD (Pin 20) requires two parallel bypass capacitors, C3 (2.2 nF), and C20 (10 µF). Place these
capacitors as close as possible to the VD pin, with the 2.2 nF capacitor closest to the pin. Place a via connecting
the VD pin and the capacitors to the system VD supply such that the capacitors are closer to the Si477x VD pin
than the via. See Figure 7, “Si477x VD/VIO1/VIO2 Supply Bypassing Layout”.
The control (VIO1, Pin 19) and data bus interface (VIO2, Pin 22) supplies each require a 2.2 nF bypass capacitor
(C4, C5). Place each capacitor as close as possible to the corresponding VIO pin. Place a via connecting the VIO
pin and the capacitor to the system VIO supply such that the capacitor is closer to the Si477x VIO pin than the via.
Connect all digital bypass capacitors (C3, C20, C4, C5) only to the digital bypass ground (DBYP) Pin 21 with a
wide, low-inductance trace. Do not connect the digital bypassing capacitors to the PCB ground; this grounding is
provided by the Si477x internally. See Figure 7, “Si477x VD/VIO1/VIO2 Supply Bypassing Layout”.
6
Rev. 0.3
AN644
Location of digital
bypass capacitors
Figure 7. Si477x VD/VIO1/VIO2 Supply Bypassing Layout
1.5.2. Reference Clock
The Si477x generates all internal clocking from an external crystal using an on-chip oscillator or an external reference clock. The supported crystal and external clock source frequency is 4 MHz. The reference clock/crystal accuracy must be within ±100 ppm.
X1 is an optional crystal required only when using the internal oscillator feature. Place the crystal, X1, as close to
XTAL1 (Pin 35) and XTAL2 (Pin 34) as possible to minimize current loop lengths. If an external clock source is
used instead of a crystal, route the clock through series capacitor C12 to XTAL2 and leave XTAL1 floating (NC).
Route the RCLK trace as far away from digital I/O traces as possible to minimize capacitive coupling.
1.5.3. Analog Audio / MPX Output (Si4777)
High-fidelity digital-to-analog converters (DACs) drive analog audio signals or the FM MPX signal to LOUT/MPXOUT (Pin 32) and ROUT (Pin 33). For analog audio and FM MPX information, refer to the Si477x data sheet.
Rev. 0.3
7
AN644
1.5.4. Control Interface
All control interface signals operate at VIO1 supply levels. Route all control interface traces on Layer 2 to minimize
coupling to the RF front-end. SDA and SCL (Pins 16 and 17) are an I2C-compatible serial port slave interface,
which allows an external controller to send commands and receive responses from the Si477x. Both the SDA and
SCL signals require external pull-up resistors to VIO1. The value of pull-up resistor values will vary based on the
number of devices, capacitance, and speed of the bus. Placement location is not critical. Refer to the I2C specification for additional design information. For I2C Control Bus information, refer to the Si477x data sheet.
A0 and A1 (Pins 11 and 12) select the I2C device address. Leave each pin either floating (NC) or connected to the
system ground. For I2C Device Address selection, refer to the Si477x data sheet.
RSTB (Pin 15) is the global chip reset input. Setting the RSTB pin low disables analog and digital circuitry, resets
the registers to their default settings, and disables the bus. Setting the RSTB pin high brings the device out of
reset. For Reset, Powerup, and Powerdown information, refer to the Si477x data sheet.
INTB (Pin 18) is an active low interrupt output. See “AN645:Si477x Programming Guide” for interrupt configuration.
Series termination resistors may be added to the SDA, SCL, and INTB traces to mitigate system noise and control
slew rate. Confirm that data sheet timing requirements are met with the selected series termination resistor value.
Place the series termination resistors for SDA and INTB as close to the Si477x as possible. Place the series termination resistor for SCL close to the host controller.
1.5.5.
Digital Audio Interface
The digital audio interface includes data serial lines containing audio data (DOUT, Pin 27), a bit clock (DCLK, Pin
29), and a word frame for left- and right-channel data (DFS, Pin 28). For Digital Audio Interface information, refer to
the Si477x data sheet.
All digital audio signals operate at VIO2 supply levels. Route all digital audio traces on Layer 3 to minimize coupling
to the RF front-end.
Series termination resistors may be added to the DOUT, DCLK, and DFS traces to mitigate system noise and
control slew rate. Confirm that data sheet timing requirements are met with the selected series termination resistor
value. Place the series termination resistors for DCLK and DFS as close to the host controller as possible. Place
the series termination resistor for DOUT close to the Si477x.
8
Rev. 0.3
AN644
1.5.6. Digital I/Q ZIF Output and IBOC Blend Mode (Si4777)
All digital I/Q signals operate at VIO2 supply levels. Route all digital I/Q traces on Layer 3 to minimize coupling to
the RF front-end.
The digital ZIF I/Q output provides the down-converted channelized AM/FM signal at baseband to a third-party processor for IBOC signal processing. The ZIF I/Q 4-pin interface consists of two data serial lines containing I and Q
data (IOUT/QOUT, Pins 25/26), a bit clock (IQCLK, Pin 23), and a word frame for each data sample (IQFS, Pin 24).
Connect these traces to the I/Q input of the HD Radio Demod.
In IBOC Blend Mode (Si4777), Pins 27 through 30 (DOUT, DFS, DCLK, XOUT) are digital audio and blend control
inputs. Connect these pins to a third-party processor's digital audio master output and blend control output. Pins
13, 14, and 18 (DCLK2, DOUT2, and DFS2) are blended digital audio outputs. Connect these pins to a digital audio
master host processor. See the Si477x data sheet, section “4.12 IBOC Blend Mode for HD Radio”. The HD system
implementation is shown below in Figure 8.
HD Radio Demod
QOUT (Pin 26)
IOUT (Pin 25)
IQFS (Pin24)
IQCLK (Pin 23)
Digital I/Q ZIF
(I2S)
Demod
Audio /Data
Decoders
Master
4-wire mode
Master
Si4777
X
3-wire mode
AM/FM Analog demodulation
Weak signal processing
IBOC
blend
ASRC
PLL
BLEND (Pin 30)
DCLK (Pin 29)
Blend Flag
Digital bit clock
DFS (Pin 28)
DIN (Pin 27)
Digital frame sync
HD audio (MP1)
AM/FM
audio
ASRC
DOUT2 (Pin 14)
DCLK2 (Pin 13)
DFS2 (Pin 18)
Blended audio
Digital bit clock
Digital frame sync
Audio
processing
Blended
audio
DSP
Master
Figure 8. System Implementation of HD-Radio Reception with IBOC Blend
Rev. 0.3
9
AN644
1.6. Thermal Performance for Two-Layer Module Applications
When designing a small, two-layer based on the Si477x, the module size must be no less than 3 x 5 cm to achieve
best thermal performance, as a larger board area dissipates heat more readily. Place all LDOs on the base board if
possible, to eliminate heat sources on the module. Lowering VA from 5.0 V to 4.8 V decreases board temperature
without RF performance degradation.
Connect the IC ground paddle to the bottom layer PCB ground using vias to dissipate heat. Place large vias on the
ground paddle connected to the bottom layer ground as shown in Figure 9. Do not use vias with diameter greater
than 20 mils, as this may impact RF performance. Standard 1 mil via plating lowers thermal resistance and helps
decrease temperature.
Figure 9. Si477x Ground Paddle Via Placement
Connect NC pins, I2C address select pins A0/A1, and the IC ground paddle to the top layer ground with solid
ground fill to lower thermal resistance.
For two-layer module designs, 2 oz Cu weight (70 µm) is required to maximize thermal performance. FR4-370HR
PCB material is recommended for best thermal and RF performance due to its thermal conductivity.
10
Rev. 0.3
AN644
1.7. Design Checklist*
Place
VA bypass capacitors C1, C2, and C21 as close as possible to the Si477x supply pin.
VD bypass capacitors C3 and C20 as close as possible to the Si477x supply and digital bypass
(DBYP) pins.
Place VIO1/VIO2 bypass capacitors C4 and C5 as close as possible to the Si477x supply and digital
bypass pins (DBYP).
Route supplies using wide, low-inductance traces. Ensure that each trace is rated to handle the required
current.
Route all supply connections through a via such that the bypass capacitors are closer to the Si477x supply
pins than the source via.
Place crystal X1 as close as possible to the Si477x XTAL1/XTAL2 pins.
Select a crystal with accuracy of ±100 ppm.
Place the Si477x close to the antenna connector to minimize RF front-end trace lengths and capacitance
and to minimize inductive and capacitive coupling.
Route all traces to minimize inductive and capacitive coupling by keeping digital traces away from analog
and RF traces, minimizing trace length, minimizing parallel trace runs, and keeping current loops small.
Route digital traces between ground planes for best performance.
Add series termination resistors to digital signals if necessary to mitigate noise coupling. Ensure timing
specifications are maintained when adding series terminations.
Connect the Si477x ground pad to the ground plane using multiple vias to minimize ground potential
differences and achieve optimal thermal performance.
Do not route signal traces under the Si477x.
Do not route digital or RF traces over breaks in the ground plane.
Flood the primary and secondary routing layers with separated RF and system grounds, and connect all
layers using stitching vias.
PCB size should be no less than 3 x 5 cm in a two-layer module application. Use 2 oz Cu and FR4-370
PCB material for best thermal performance.
Place 20-mil diameter vias at the IC ground paddle to for heat dissipation.
Place
NC pins and I2C address lines pins 9-10 to connect ground paddle to top layer ground. The ground
area should be as large as possible with many ground vias on it.
Use
*Note: Design checklist is listed in order of importance.
Rev. 0.3
11
AN644
1.8. Bill of Materials: Si477x FM/AM
Table 1. Si477x FM/AM Bill of Materials
Designator
Description
Value
Manufacturer
Part Number
C1
CAP,SM,0402
100 pF
Murata
GRM1555C1H101JZ01
C2,C3,C4,
C5,C7
CAP,SM,0402
2.2 nF
Murata
GRM155R71H222KA01
C6,C20
CAP,SM,0402
10 µF
Murata
GRM188R60J106ME47
D
C8
CAP,SM,0402
1.0 nF
Murata
GRM155R71H102KA01
C9
CAP,SM,0402
62 pF
Murata
GRM1555C1H620JD01
C10
CAP,SM,0402
18 pF
Murata
GRM1555C1H180JZ01
C11,C12,
C22,C23,
C24,C25,C26,
C27
CAP,SM,0402
NP
C13,C17,
C21
CAP,SM,0402
0.1 µF
Murata
GRM155R71A104KA01D
D1,D2,D3
ESD PROTECTOR,14VDC,SM
Digikey
PESD0402-140TR-ND
L1
IND,SM,0603
220 nH
Murata
LQW18ANR22G00
L2
IND,SM,0603
47 nH
Murata
LQW18AN47NG00
L3
IND,SM,0603
150 nH
Murata
LQW18ANR15G00
L9
IND,SM,0603
10 nH
Murata
LQW18AN10NJ00D
T1
Balun, 1:1
TOKO
#458PT1566
T2
Transformer
Silicon Laboratories
SL755TF01
R1,R4,R5
RES,SM,0402
U1
IC,SM,SI4770,MLP40
Silicon Laboratories
SI4770
U2
IC, SM, RAM
Microchip
34LC02
X1
XTAL,SM,37.209375 MHz
TAI-SAW
TZ1522A
J29,J32,J36,
J37
RES,SM,0402,SOLDER_BUMP_JUMPER
J1,J33
CONN, SMA, EDGEMOUNT
AEPCONNECTORS
J2
CONN,SM,SFM,2X30,0.05IN
PITCH
Samtec
12
0
NP
Rev. 0.3
SFM-130-02-S-D-A
AN644
Table 1. Si477x FM/AM Bill of Materials (Continued)
Designator
Description
JP1
CONN,TH,HEADER,.100
PITCH,1X2
J3,J4,J5,J6,J7,
J8,J9,J10,J11,
J12,J13,J14,
J15,J16,J17,
J18,J19,J20,
J21,J22,J23,
J24,J25,J26,
J27,J28,J30,
J31,J35
RES,SM,0402,SOLDER_BUMP_JUMPER
Value
Manufacturer
Part Number
Samtec
HTSW-101-07-G-D
0
Rev. 0.3
13
AN644
DOCUMENT CHANGE LIST
Revision 0.1 to Revision 0.2

Updated "1.3.1. FM Front-End" on page 3.
Revision 0.2 to Revision 0.3

14
Updated Table 1 on page 12.
Updated T1 designator part number.
Rev. 0.3
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