Cross-talk

Although HDI does offer improvements and alternatives for all the concerns above, it does not provide all the solutions. Signal integrity depends on the materials the PCB uses, and the materials the HDI technology uses, together with the PCB design rules and dimensional stack-up helps the electrical performance including signal integrity. Likewise, miniaturization of the PCB using the HDI technology is a major improvement for signal integrity.

HDI Benefits Signal IntegrityWith new electronic components such as ball grid arrays and chip-scale packaging achieving widespread use, designers are creating PCBs with new fabrication technologies to accommodate parts with very fine pitches and small geometries. At the same time, clock speeds and signal bandwidths are becoming increasingly fast, and this is challenging system designers to reduce the effect of RFI and EMI on the performance of their products. Moreover, the constant demand for denser, smaller, faster, and lighter systems are compounding the problems with restrictions placed on cost targets.With HDI incorporating microvia circuit interconnections, the products are able to utilize the smallest, newest, and fastest devices. With microvias, PCBs are able to cover decreasing cost targets, while meeting stringent RFI/EMI requirements, and maintaining HDI circuit signal integrity.

Advantages of Using Microvia Technology in HDI CircuitsMicrovias are vias of diameter equal to or less than 150 microns or 6 mils. Designers and fabricators use them mostly as blind and buried vias to interconnect through one layer of dielectric within a multi-layer PCB. High-density PCB design benefits from the cost-effective fabrication of microvias.Microvias offer several benefits from both a physical and an electrical standpoint. In comparison to their mechanically created counterparts, designers can create circuit systems with much better electrical performance and higher circuit densities, resulting in robust products that are lighter and smaller.Along with reductions in board size, weight, thickness, and volume, come the benefits of lower costs and layer elimination.

 At the same time, microvias offer increased layout and wiring densities resulting in improved reliability.However, the major benefits of microvias and higher density go to improving the electrical performance and signal integrity. This is mainly because the HDI technology and microvias offer ten times lower parasitic influence of through-hole PCB design, along with less reflections, fewer stubs, better noise margins, and less ground bounce effects.Along with higher reliability achieved from the thin and balanced aspect ratio of microvias, the board has ground planes placed closer to the other layers. 

This results in lowering the surface distribution of capacitance, leading to a significant reduction in RFI/EMI.HDI PCBs use thin dielectrics of high Tg and this offers improved thermal efficiencies. Not only does this reduce PCB thermal issues, it also helps the designer in streamlining thermal design PCB.Improved Electrical Performance of HDI CircuitsThe designer can place more ground plane around components, as they implement via-in-pad with microvias. The increase in routabilty offers better RFI/EMI performance due to the decrease in ground return loops.

As HDI circuits offer smaller PCB design along with more closely spaced traces, this contributes to signal integrity improvements. This helps in many ways—noise reduction, EMI reduction, signal propagation improvement, and lowers attenuation.The improved reliability of HDI circuits with the use microvias also helps in PCB thermal issues. Heat travels better through the thin dielectrics. Streamlining thermal design PCB helps remove heat to the thermal layers.

 Several manufacturers make complex enhanced tape BGAs of thin, laser-drilled polyimide films to take advantage of PCB design with HDI.The physical design of the microvia helps in reducing switching noise. The reason for this decrease is due to decrease in inductance and capacitance of the via, since it has a smaller diameter and length.Signal termination may not be necessary in HDI circuits as devices are very close together. 

Since the thickness of the layers is also small, the designer can utilize the backside of the interconnection effectively as well.Just as the signal path is important in PCB design, so is the return path. Moreover, the return path also influences the resistance, capacitance, and inductance experienced by the signal. 

As the signal return current takes the path of minimum energy, or the least impedance, the low frequencies follow the path minimizing the current loop.Miniaturization from using HDI technology provides interconnections with shorter lengths, meaning signals have to traverse shorter distances from origin to destination. Simply by lowering the dielectric constant of the HDI material system, the designer can allow a size reduction of 28%, and still maintain the specified cross-talk. In fact, with proper design, the reduction in cross-talk may reach even 50%.ConclusionHDI PCB design not only helps in improving the integrity of signals, but the presence of thin dielectric helps with the PCB thermal issues as well. 

In fact, HDI technology helps with all the five major areas of concern related to signal integrity.