PCB High-Speed Signal Design Guidelines: Agilex™ 5 FPGAs and SoCs

ID 821801
Date 11/18/2024
Public
Document Table of Contents

3.3.8. AC Coupling Capacitors

The layout design of AC coupling capacitors can impact the performance of the high-speed channel.

  • Use a 0402 or 0201 size capacitor for a smaller parasitic and smaller footprint.
  • Place the AC coupling capacitors at the device end or connector end. Do not place them in the middle of the trace routing.
  • Keep the placement of the AC coupling capacitors on the two lines of a differential pair symmetrical, make sure that the fan-in and fan-out routing structures of capacitors are symmetric and make sure trace lengths on both sides of the capacitors are matched.
  • Avoid signals routed underneath the capacitor cut-out area.
  • Optimize the cut-out size under the capacitor and capacitor pad by using a 3D EM simulation tool for your specific stackup. The Cut-out Simulation Set-up Example of capacitors shows the cut-sizes of capacitors used in the reference design. It is recommended to use a rectangular cutout under the capacitors area and circular or oval anti-pads for transition vias. Adjust the cut-out sizes based on the specific stack-up to minimize return loss as much as possible. Generally, a larger cut-out size corresponds to higher impedance. Add excitations at both ends of the traces. Starting with a 30 to 35 mils gap between two AC capacitors is advisable for optimization, but feel free to alter this gap value if the return loss and TDR results are unsatisfactory. Consider cutting more layers under the capacitors to increase impedance. Aim to achieve a return loss lower than -15 dB at the Nyquist frequency, although lower than -20 dB is preferable, and keep the impedance change within the cut-out and transition vias area as slight as possible (ideally within ±5 ohm).
Figure 23. Cut-Out Simulation Setup Example of AC Coupling CapacitorsThis figure shows AC coupling capacitors cut-out simulation setup example (a) recommended different cut-out shapes for optimization on different layers, (b) oval shape and rectangular cut-out shape on the layer underneath the capacitor (c) oval shape cut-out for transition vias and (d) circular cut-out for transition vias.