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–

–

–

38

39

Board Layout Guidelines

The module’s design makes integration straightforward; however, it

is still critical to exercise care in PCB layout. Failure to observe good

layout techniques can result in a significant degradation of the module’s

performance. A primary layout goal is to maintain a characteristic

50-ohm impedance throughout the path from the antenna to the module.

Grounding, filtering, decoupling, routing and PCB stack-up are also

important considerations for any RF design. The following section provides

some basic design guidelines which may be helpful.

During prototyping, the module should be soldered to a properly laid-out

circuit board. The use of prototyping or “perf” boards will result in poor

performance and is strongly discouraged.

The module should, as much as reasonably possible, be isolated from

other components on your PCB, especially high-frequency circuitry such as

crystal oscillators, switching power supplies, and high-speed bus lines.

When possible, separate RF and digital circuits into different PCB regions.

Make sure internal wiring is routed away from the module and antenna, and

is secured to prevent displacement.

Do not route PCB traces directly under the module. There should not be

any copper or traces under the module on the same layer as the module,

just bare PCB. The underside of the module has traces and vias that could

short or couple to traces on the product’s circuit board.

The Pad Layout section shows a typical PCB footprint for the module. A

ground plane (as large and uninterrupted as possible) should be placed on

a lower layer of your PC board opposite the module. This plane is essential

for creating a low impedance return for ground and consistent stripline

performance.

Use care in routing the RF trace between the module and the antenna or

connector. Keep the trace as short as possible. Do not pass under the

module or any other component. Do not route the antenna trace on

multiple PCB layers as vias will add inductance. Vias are acceptable for

tying together ground layers and component grounds and should be used

in multiples.

Each of the module’s ground pins should have short traces tying

immediately to the ground plane through a via.

Bypass caps should be low ESR ceramic types and located directly

adjacent to the pin they are serving.

A 50-ohm coax should be used for connection to an external antenna.

A 50-ohm transmission line, such as a microstrip, stripline or coplanar

waveguide should be used for routing RF on the PCB. The Microstrip

Details section provides additional information.

In some instances, a designer may wish to encapsulate or “pot” the

product. There is a wide variety of potting compounds with varying

dielectric properties. Since such compounds can considerably impact

RF performance and the ability to rework or service the product, it is

the responsibility of the designer to evaluate and qualify the impact and

suitability of such materials.

Pad Layout

The pad layout diagram in Figure 50 is designed to facilitate both hand and

automated assembly.

0.028

(0.70)

0.036

(0.92)

0.512

(13.00)

0.050

(1.27)

0.050

(1.27)

0.036

(0.92)

0.020

(0.50)

0.045

(1.15)

Figure 50: Recommended PCB Layout