AN5407

Application note

Optimized RF board layout for STM32WL Series

Introduction
The STM32WL Series microcontrollers integrate RF transceiver for LPWAN (long-power wide-area network), compatible with
LoRa®, GFSK, DBPSK, and MSK, in the frequency range 150 to 960 MHz.
The STM32WL Series devices (named STM32WL later in this document) have two output powers:
• HP (high-power RFO_HP), optimized up to 22 dBm
• LP (low-power RFO_LP), optimized up to 15 dBm
The devices also include a differential RF input (RFI, up to 0 dBm) for the Rx low-noise amplifier (LNA).
To achieve the right performances for the RF output and RF input signals, some recommendations must be followed for the
board design. Special care is required for the layout of an RF board compared to a conventional circuit.
This document describes precautions to be taken to achieve the best RF performance of the STM32WL on efficient applications,
that last for long time under battery. The description is based on the UFBGA73 (5 x 5 mm) reference 4-layer board.

AN5407 - Rev 2 - July 2020 www.st.com

For further information contact your local STMicroelectronics sales office.
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Main rules summary

1 Main rules summary

Some general guidelines when routing an RF PCB are listed below:

• RF traces must be short and straightforward.
Make the transmission lines short and straightforward in order to avoid reflections, save power and reduce
high‑frequency issues.
• Place and route decoupling capacitors and RF components first.
The placement of the RF part at first, is highly recommended. Decoupling capacitors are essential to avoid
high‑frequency problems and maintain power integrity. Do not hesitate to add some other decoupling
capacitors if needed.
• Place and route critical signals.
• Do not route high-frequency signals on board outline.
High-frequency signals on board outline tend to radiate due to edge effects of high-frequency fields.
• Try to maintain the characteristic impedance (50 Ω) constant.
Avoid discontinuities such as different sizes of pads put on transmission lines, bends, T-junctions, changing
RF trace width along the line.
• Keep critical signals away from RF.
High-frequency signals can induce some undesired effects in critical signals such as electric and/or
magnetic coupling.
• For high-frequency applications, 4-layer PCBs are better than 2-layer.
• Try to avoid vias with RF signals.
Vias in RF paths can cause reflections, radiation and consequently losses.
• RF return current paths must be free of obstacles or discontinuities.
• Avoid undesired magnetic coupling between inductors by leaving space between them, using magnetic
shielding and/or placing them perpendicular to each other.
• Try to reduce undesired parasitic capacitances and inductances associated with the circuit layout as much
as possible.
• For filter inductors such as SMPS chokes, use shielded inductors to minimizing noise and place them
perpendicular to LNA traces and other RF traces.
• To reduce electromagnetic undesired emission, a metal shield can be added above RF components.

This application note applies to STM32WL Series microcontrollers based on the Arm® Cortex®-M processor.
Note: Arm is a registered trademark of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the US and/or elsewhere.

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Characteristic and controlled impedance

2 Characteristic and controlled impedance

All transmission lines below microwave frequencies have at least two conductors:
• In one conductor, the RF currents go towards the antenna.
• In the other, the RF currents come back to the RF source.
In order to feed an antenna, transmission lines on PCBs, designed considering their characteristic impedances,
are used.
The characteristic impedance of a transmission line (sometimes represented by ZC or Z0) is defined as the
constant ratio between the voltage and current waves along the line. ZC can be defined with R, L, G and C
parameters that represent the transmission line model of an extremely short segment, as shown in this formula:
R + jwL Zseries
ZC = =
G + jwC Ysℎunt
where:
• R = total series resistance, per unit length of two conductors, in ohms
• L = total series inductance, per unit length of two conductors, in henrys
• G = shunt conductance between two conductors per unit length, in siemens
• C = shunt capacitance per unit length between conductors, in farads
• j = imaginary number
• ω = angular frequency, in rad/s
The impedance formed by a PCB trace and its associated reference planes, constitute the characteristic
impedance of the transmission line on the PCB. This characteristic impedance on PCBs is frequently called
controlled impedance.
To make it simpler, the controlled impedance of a PCB is the physical dimensions that define the R, L, G and C
parameters. Characteristics of the materials, like permeability of permittivity, impact the value of the controlled
impedance. Since no magnetic materials are used in PCBs, the relative permeability is considered equal to one
(µr = 1).
In the example of a coplanar single-ended waveguide line with lower-ground plane (GCPW for grounded coplanar
waveguide), the physical dimensions like t (thickness), w (width), c (clearance), h (height) and permittivity
constants of dielectric materials, determinate the characteristic impedance of the transmission line on the PCB.

Figure 1. Example of a GCPW in a 2-layer PCB

Transmission lines on PCBs can also be made in other formats like microstrip or strip lines.
GCPW is often selected up to a few GHz in order to reduce radiation due to fringe fields, therefore causing less
EM (electromagnetic) radiation thus less interference. For STM32WL reference boards, GCPW are used as
standard transmission line structures.
GCPW is more sensitive to PCB manufacturing variations than microstrip lines . GCPW physical dimensions
(such as t, w, c, and h) must be kept within low tolerances in order to maintain an impedance very close to 50 Ω.

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Characteristic and controlled impedance

In order to understand how the manufacturing process can impact the characteristic impedance of a GCPW
transmission line on a PCB, consider the example of a 4-layer PCB with physical dimensions varying with 20 %
tolerance, around a 50 Ω characteristic impedance at 1 GHz. In that case, the stack-up with nominal values is
shown in the figure below.

Figure 2. Example of a transmission line type GCPW on PCB

The entire PCB stack-up for this example is depicted in the figure below.

Figure 3. Stack-up example for 4-layer PCB

Note: Due to mechanical constraints, PCBs are often made with symmetrical stack-ups.

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Characteristic and controlled impedance

As the transmission width varies during the manufacturing process within a 20 % tolerance, the expected result is
shown in the figures below.

Figure 4. Characteristic impedance versus width variation

Figure 5. Characteristic impedance versus clearance variation

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Characteristic and controlled impedance

The goal is to design, in theory, transmission lines that can delivery to the antenna 100 % of the power inserted at
the beginning of the line. To better understand the impact of the mismatch due to a characteristic impedance other
than 50 Ω, see the table below.

Table 1. Characteristic impedance and impact on RF measures (load impedance = 50 Ω)

Characteristic Reflection Return loss Mismatch loss Reflected Transmitted

VSWR(1)
impedance (Ω) coefficient (dB) (dB) power (%) power (%)

55 -0.048 0.010 26.444 1.100 0.23 99.77

54 -0.038 0.006 28.299 1.080 0.15 99.85
53 -0.029 0.004 30.714 1.060 0.08 99.92
52 -0.020 0.002 34.151 1.040 0.04 99.96
51 -0.010 0.000 40.086 1.020 0.01 99.99
50 0.000 0.000 - 1.000 0.00 100.00
49 0.010 0.000 39.913 1.020 0.01 99.99
48 0.020 0.002 33.804 1.042 0.04 99.96
47 0.031 0.004 30.193 1.064 0.10 99.90
46 0.042 0.008 27.604 1.087 0.17 99.83
45 0.053 0.012 25.575 1.111 0.28 99.72

1. Voltage standing wave ratio.

As a good practice, always identify the controlled impedances in schematics as depicted in the figure below.

Figure 6. Example of schematic with controlled impedance identified

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RF transmission line

3 RF transmission line

The geometry of a transmission line is defined to minimize the tendency of the line to act as an antenna and to
radiate on its own, while the geometry of an antenna is selected to maximize its tendency to radiate.
As mentioned before, the RF transmission line on PCB is defined by its geometry and the PCB stack-up. This
section includes a PCB stack-up description and some stack-ups to be copied in order to have the right
impedances for the Tx and Rx paths.

3.1 Stack-up board

A typical 4-layer PCB with three types of vias is described in the figure below. The trace width, the distance
between trace and ground reference, and the material characteristics determine the impedance of the RF trace.
Microvias are often used with BGA packages due to the high-density interconnections (HDI).

Figure 7. Typical 4-layer PCB stack-up with three different types of vias

3.2 Stack-ups for Tx 50 Ω and Rx 100 Ω

One of the most difficult tasks is to correctly determine the width and clearance for an RF track from a given
stack-up. The difficulty in linked to the effective dielectric constant (εr_eff) calculation for a given substrate.
A 2.5/3D field-solver software is often used to determine εr_eff. PCB manufacturers can assist greatly in this task.
Whenever possible, ask to the PCB manufacturer, the design rules (dimensions) to use on the RF lines to obtain
50 Ω single‑ended and 100 Ω differential. Otherwise, copy/paste a predefined board stack-up with its
characteristics and use the recommended design rules to obtain the desired impedances.
Appendix A Stack-up examples details some stack-up boards to obtain 50 Ω for Tx lines and 100 Ω for Rx lines
that can be copied to the application. Contact the PCB manufacturer to verify if the values on the stack-up
selected can be guaranteed.

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Surface mounted components with RF signals

4 Surface mounted components with RF signals

4.1 Capacitors
The table below gives some recommendations regarding the routing of SMD (surface mounted components).

Table 2. Capacitor pads with RF signals

Performance Capacitor pad type Comment

Short traces with multiples vias reducing

Recommended
return current impedance

Better

Short traces

Better

Long traces between capacitor

Poor
increasing series inductance

Thinner access track increasing the

Not good equivalent series inductance of the
capacitor

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Capacitors

Figure 8. Example of capacitors on RF lines

Whenever possible, thermal reliefs must be avoided on RF lines as they increase the equivalent series
inductance (ESL) of capacitors and then change the frequency response of the capacitors in addition to
increasing losses.

Figure 9. Thermal reliefs

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Inductors

4.2 Inductors
The table below gives some recommendations regarding the inductors.

Table 3. Inductor pads with RF signals

Performance Inductor pad type Comment

Short and same PAD width access

Recommended traces, maintaining the original value of
the inductance and Q-Factor

Be careful with this kind of tricks.

This narrow trace contributes to increase
Not good the inductance, but this can decrease
the equivalent Q-factor of the inductor.
RF inductors are carefully made to have
a high Q-factor. Do not ruin it.

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Via stitching and shielding

5 Via stitching and shielding

The recommendation is to put some vias around RF lines as shown in the figure below, in order to reduce
high‑frequency issues.

Figure 10. Spacing between vias around GCPW

The following formula is used to determine the D value:

λG λG
≤D≤
20 10
with λG, as guided wavelength, defined by this formula:
3 × 108
λG =
f × ϵr − eff
where:
• f = highest frequency of the RF circuit operation
• εr_eff = effective dielectric constant of the PCB

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RF return current path

6 RF return current path

The RF currents that go to the antenna must come back to their source inside the chip to complete a closed loop:
it is done by a return path. Thus, a return path for the delivery medium back to the energy source must be
provided. A return path is defined as the conductive path taken by the current returning to the source from the
load, generally this return path is done on a grounded plane.

Table 4. Return paths

Performance Return path type Comment

Recommended No vias in RF return path

Vias creating larger RF return path

Not good
increasing losses and discontinuities

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RF return current path

Figure 11. Clean return path example for RF currents

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Discontinuities to avoid in transmission lines

7 Discontinuities to avoid in transmission lines

When designing transmission line on PCB with a controlled impedance (50 Ω), the objective is to maintain the
same impedance in the whole system in order to transfer as much as energy as possible to the antenna and to
minimize the unintentional loss of energy in the transmission line.

Table 5. Layout discontinuities

Performance Layout Comment

Difference between component pad

widths and RF line widths, thermal
Poor
reliefs and components placed in a way
creating parasitic effects

Taking the above routing and increase slightly layout dimensions allow the user
to route the RF lines without discontinuities as shown below.

Clean RF lines with pad components at

Recommended the same width as the RF lines and pad
components on the RF lines

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Discontinuities to avoid in transmission lines

Table 6. Track transitions

Performance Transition type Comment

Recommended Smooth transition

Poor Multi-step transition

Not good Single-step transition

Table 7. Test points

Performance Test point type Comment

Test point inside

the RF line
(avoiding stubs)

Recommended Test point with no stub

Test point acting

as a stub

Not good Test point as stub

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Discontinuities to avoid in transmission lines

Whenever possible, align the width between the RF lines and pads (no transition needed). Do not hesitate to
reduce pad components to maintain constant width of RF traces.

Table 8. Pad component width

Performance Pad component type Comment

Same width for RF line and pads

Recommended No transition needed

Tapered transition

Better Smooth transition

Pad components
Abrupt transition with different width

Not good Single-step transition

Table 9. RF switch transitions

Performance RF switch transition type Comment

Recommended Smooth transition

Better Tapered transition

Not good Single-step transition

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Discontinuities to avoid in transmission lines

Table 10. Package pad to RF line transitions

Performance Pad to RF line transition type Comment

Recommended Smooth transition with polygons

Thin traces causing losses in high frequencies

Thin trace with single-step transition

Not good
Single-step transition

Single-step transition

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Bends with RF lines

8 Bends with RF lines

A bend is needed when there is a direction change for an RF line. Bends with RF lines can cause reflections and
power loss. Some guidelines are detailed in this section to avoid issues with bends in high-frequency transmission
lines. The main idea when designing bends is to keep the same trace width in the corner.
Consider the worst case that is the 90° bend shown in the figure below.

Figure 12. 90° bend example

The ideal case is a straight line with a constant width as shown below.

Figure 13. Ideal case: straight line

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Bends with RF lines

Table 11. Guidelines for bends in RF lines

Performance Bend type

Recommended
With
continuous
width

Better

Better

Not good

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Minimize unintentional radiation

9 Minimize unintentional radiation

9.1 RFO harmonics
The typical RFO application circuit for the STM32WL is shown in the figure below.

Figure 14. Typical circuit for RFO harmonics

The STM32WL features a linear, high-efficiency RF PA (power amplifier) connected to the RFO pin (PA output).
Due to the high-frequency harmonic components generated at RFO (above GHz for an operating frequency
starting at 500 MHz), the RF tracks before filtering stages (before L5, C21, C24, C22, L6 and C25 in the
schematic) may radiate unintentional electromagnetic (EM) energy. Any piece of metal that makes λ/4 under
certain conditions, can act as an antenna radiating EM energy.
Note: Remember that the power radiated by a linear antenna of length L, is proportional to P = (L/λ)2. This means that
the bigger the unintentional antenna is, the greater the amount of energy it radiates.
The following formula can be used to determine the longest length of a track to not radiate EM energy on a PCB:
3 × 108
L<
4 × ℎ × f × ϵr_eff
where:
• h is the harmonic for which the user must determine the maximum track length to avoid.
• f is the operating frequency of the RF signal.
• εr_eff is the effective dielectric constant of the PCB stack-up layers.

Example
For an operating frequency at 915 MHz, the ninth harmonic (h9) is equal to 8.235 GHz (9 x 915 MHz). For PCB
with an εr_eff = 3, the maximum track length is:
3 × 108
L<
4 × 9 × 9.15 × 106 × 3
The maximum track length to avoid an unintentional harmonic radiation with an operating frequency at 915 MHz
and taking the ninth harmonic, is 5.258 mm.

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High-frequency signals on board outline

9.2 High-frequency signals on board outline

Routing high-frequency signals at board outline may cause unintentional EM radiation.

Figure 15. EM radiation generated by HF signals

RF trace near
PCB edge

Fringe fields causing

unintentional radiation

Impact

One solution to mitigate the problem of tracks that radiate EM is to place them between grounded planes (below
and above).

Figure 16. How to mitigate unintentional EM radiation

Vias to ground added with a

guard trace on top, in order
to ‘absorb’ the fringe fields

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Ground flooding

9.3 Ground flooding

Flooding unused PCB areas with GND and with multiple vias, can be used to keep the GND impedance low and
reduce EMC issues.

Figure 17. PCB example with or without ground flooding

Without ground flooding With ground flooding

9.4 Metal shield

To prevent issues due to unintentional radiation of harmonic contents, it is highly recommended to put a metal
shield to cover the RF part on the board.

Figure 18. PCB example with or without metal shield

Without metal shield With metal shield

High harmonics may cause EMC issues. The metal shield prevents harmonic components
from causing interference with other circuits.

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Power planes

9.5 Power planes

To prevent unintentional EM radiation between GND planes and power planes, the power planes must not be
routed at the edge of the board. Otherwise these power planes may radiate unintentional EM due to fringe fields.
GND planes must be put in all layers around the board and must be connected together.

Figure 19. GND and power planes

GND guard trace in the same layer

than the power plane
GND plane

In this example: Power plane

- power plane in Layer 2 ending before the edge
- GND plane in Layer 3 with guard trace in Layer 2

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Decoupling capacitors

10 Decoupling capacitors

Capacitors with lower values must be placed closer to the chip than higher-value ones, as shown in the figure
below.

Figure 20. Decoupling capacitors

When routing decoupling capacitors, the smallest possible current loop must be maintained. Large current loops
are translated into inductive behavior.

Table 12. Return currents for decoupling capacitors

Performance RF switch transition type Comment

Current loop
Recommended Reduced current loop

Poor Large current loop

Current loop

The equivalent series inductance (ESL, see the figure below) of a capacitor is impacted by the current loop.

Figure 21. High-frequency equivalent model of a capacitor

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STM32WL reference layout

11 STM32WL reference layout

The reference PCB 4-layer layout for BGA package is detailed in the figures below.

Figure 22. All layers of STM32WL reference layout for BGA

Figure 23. Top layer of STM32WL reference layout for BGA

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STM32WL reference layout

Figure 24. Middle layer 1 of STM32WL reference layout for BGA

Figure 25. Middle layer 2 of STM32WL reference layout for BGA

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STM32WL reference layout

Figure 26. Bottom layer of STM32WL reference layout for BGA

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Documentation references

12 Documentation references

• Carr, Joseph J., and George Hippisley. Practical antenna handbook. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/TAB
Electronics, 2012. Print.
• Thierauf, Stephen C. High-speed circuit board signal integrity. Norwood, MA: Artech House, 2017.
• Hart, Bryan. Digital Signal Transmission: Line Circuit Technology. Boston, MA: Springer US, 1987.
• Parise, Brendon. A Practical Guide to RF and Mixed Technology Printed Circuit Board. Pleasanton, CA
(USA). Optimum Design Associates, 2017, pp. 181-182.
• Li, Richard C. RF circuit design. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2012, pp. 328.
• Thierauf, Stephen C. High-speed circuit board signal integrity. Boston: Artech House, 2004.
• R.N. Simons: Coplanar Waveguide Circuits, Components, and Systems, Wiley-IEEE Press, 2001.
• Li Zhi, Wang Qiang and Shi Changsheng, "Application of guard traces with vias in the RF PCB layout," 2002
3rd International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Beijing, China, 2002, pp. 771-774.
• Montrose, Mark I. Printed circuit board design techniques for EMC compliance: a handbook for designers.
New York: IEEE Press, 2000.
• A. A. Oliner, "Equivalent Circuits for Discontinuities in Balanced Strip Transmission Line," in IRE
Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 134-143, March 1955.
• R. Mehran, "Calculation of Microstrip Bends and Y-Junctions with Arbitrary Angle," in IEEE Transactions on
Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 400-405, Jun. 1978.
• I. Wolff, G. Kompa and R. Mehran, "Calculation method for microstrip discontinuities and T junctions," in
Electronics Letters, vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 177-179, 6 April 1972.
• R. J. P. Douville and D. S. James, “Experimental study of symmetric microstrip bends and their
compensation,” IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., vol. MTT-26. pp. 175-182, Mar. 1978.
• R. Horton, "The Electrical Characterization of a Right-Angled Bend in Microstrip Line (Short Papers)," in
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 427-429, Jun. 1973.
• B. Easter, A. Gopinath and I. M. Stephenson, "Theoretical and experimental methods for evaluating
discontinuities in microstrip," in Radio and Electronic Engineer, vol. 48, no. 1.2, pp. 73-84, January-February
1978.
• Shinichi Ikami and Akihisa Sakurai, "Practical analysis on 20H rule for PCB," 2008 Asia-Pacific Symposium
on Electromagnetic Compatibility and 19th International Zurich Symposium on Electromagnetic
Compatibility, Singapore, 2008, pp. 180-183.
• Xiaoning Ye et al., "EMI mitigation with multilayer power-bus stacks and via stitching of reference planes," in
IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 538-548, Nov. 2001.
• M. I. Montrose, "Radiated emission far-field propagation with multiple ground stitch locations within a printed
circuit board," 2010 Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Beijing, 2010,
pp. 297-300.
• A. Jaze, B. Archambeault and S. Connor, "EMI noise reduction between planes due to a signal via with a
ground via at various distances," 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility,
Long Beach, CA, USA, 2011, pp. 167-172.
• C. L. Holloway and E. F. Kuester, "Closed-form expressions for the current density on the ground plane of a
microstrip line, with application to ground plane loss," in IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and
Techniques, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 1204-1207, May 1995.
• Jun So Pak, Hyungsoo Kim, Joungho Kim and Heejae Lee, "PCB power/ground plane edge radiation
excited by high-frequency clock," 2004 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (IEEE
Cat. No.04CH37559), Silicon Valley, CA, USA, 2004, pp. 197-202 vol.1.
• F. Gisin and Z. Pantic-Tanner, "Radiation from printed circuit board edge structures," 2001 IEEE EMC
International Symposium. Symposium Record. International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility
(Cat. No.01CH37161), Montreal, Que., Canada, 2001, pp. 881-883 vol.2.
• Joungho Kim, Junso Pak, Jongbae Park and Hyungsoo Kim, "Noise generation, coupling, isolation, and EM
radiation in high-speed package and PCB," 2005 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems,
Kobe, 2005, pp. 5766-5769 Vol. 6.

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Documentation references

• Mariscotti, Andrea. RF and Microwave Measurements: Device Characterization, Signal Integrity and
Spectrum Analysis. Chiasso (Switzerland: ASTM Analysis, Simulation, Test and Measurement Sagl, 2015,
pp. 299-392. Print.
• Advanced Design System 2020, Keysight Technologies.

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Conclusion

13 Conclusion

Some care must be taken when designing an RF board. Guidelines for decoupling capacitors, RF general rules,
reduction of EMC issues, controlled impedances with predefined PCB stack-up layers are presented in this
application note. The user must adapt these guidelines to the application.
Those guidelines must be followed to secure a correct behavior of the application, with high performance for the
RF part of the STM32WL board.

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Stack-up examples

Appendix A Stack-up examples

Some stack-up examples to obtain 50 Ω for Tx lines and 100 Ω for Rx lines from a typical stack-up for BGA
package as shown in the figure below.

Figure 27. Typical stack-up for BGA package

Solder mask

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Stack-up examples

• Case 1: typical stack-up for BGA package with PCB total thickness = 1.04 mm
Consider configuration detailed in the table below.

Table 13. Case 1: PCB total thickness = 1.04 mm

Dielectric materials Metal layers

Element Material Nominal thickness hx (μm) εr Layer Nominal thickness t (μm)

Solder mask (h3) Solder resist 20 3.7 Top 35

Prepreg 1 (h1) 1 x 2116 70 3.5 Middle 1 and middle 2 35

Core (h2) FR4 710 5.0 Bottom 35

The Tx and Rx lines detailed in the figures below can then be built from this configuration.

Figure 28. Tx 50 ohms RF tracks (case 1, PCB total = 1.04 mm)

RF reference plane
for 50 ohms

Figure 29. Rx 100 ohms differential pair (case 1, PCB total = 1.04 mm)

RF reference plane
for 100 ohms diff

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Stack-up examples

• Case 2: typical stack-up for BGA package with PCB total thickness = 1.10 mm
Consider configuration detailed in the table below.

Table 14. Case 2: PCB total thickness = 1.10 mm

Dielectric materials Metal layers

Element Material Nominal thickness hx (μm) εr Layer Nominal thickness t (μm)

Solder mask (h3) solder resist 20 3.3 Top 35

Prepreg 1 (h1) 1 x 2116 108 3.8 Middle 1 and middle 2 35

Core (h2) FR4 710 5.0 Bottom 35

The Tx and Rx lines detailed in the figures below can then be built from this configuration.

Figure 30. Tx 50 Ω RF tracks (case 2, PCB total = 1.10 mm)

RF reference plane
for 50 ohms

Figure 31. Rx 100 Ω differential pair (case 2, PCB total = 1.10 mm)

RF reference plane
for 100 ohms diff

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Stack-up examples

• Case 3: typical stack-up for BGA package with PCB total thickness = 1.60 mm
Consider configuration detailed in the table below.

Table 15. Case 3: PCB total thickness = 1.60 mm

Dielectric materials Metal layers

Element Material Nominal thickness hx (μm) εr Layer Nominal thickness t (μm)

Solder mask (h3) solder resist 20 3.5 Top 35

Prepreg 1 (h1) 1 x 1080 76 4.18 Middle 1and 2 35

Core (h2) 7 x 7628 1268 4.74 Bottom 35

The Tx and Rx lines details in the figures below can then be built from this configuration.

Figure 32. Tx 50 Ω RF tracks (case 3, PCB total = 1.60 mm)

RF reference plane
for 50 ohms

Figure 33. Rx 100 Ω differential pair (case 3, PCB total = 1.60 mm)

RF reference plane
for 100 ohms diff

Important:
The longer the distance is between the source and the antenna, the greater the potential for loss of energy in the RF
transmission line. As a design rule, RF transmission lines must be as short as possible and without discontinuities.

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Revision history

Table 16. Document revision history

Date Version Changes

6-Mar-2020 1 Initial release.

10-Jul-2020 2 Removed section 3.3 Metal cutout for impedance control.

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Contents

Contents
1 Main rules summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Characteristic and controlled impedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 RF transmission line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1 Stack-up board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 Stack-ups for Tx 50 Ω and Rx 100 Ω . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4 Surface mounted components with RF signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

4.1 Capacitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.2 Inductors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5 Via stitching and shielding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

6 RF return current path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
7 Discontinuities to avoid in transmission lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
8 Bends with RF lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
9 Minimize unintentional radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
9.1 RFO harmonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
9.2 High-frequency signals on board outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.3 Ground flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
9.4 Metal shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
9.5 Power planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

10 Decoupling capacitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

11 STM32WL reference layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
12 Documentation references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
13 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Appendix A Stack-up examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
List of tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
List of figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

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 AN5407
List of tables

List of tables
Table 1. Characteristic impedance and impact on RF measures (load impedance = 50 Ω) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 2. Capacitor pads with RF signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 3. Inductor pads with RF signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Table 4. Return paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Table 5. Layout discontinuities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Table 6. Track transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 7. Test points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 8. Pad component width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 9. RF switch transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 10. Package pad to RF line transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Table 11. Guidelines for bends in RF lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Table 12. Return currents for decoupling capacitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 13. Case 1: PCB total thickness = 1.04 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Table 14. Case 2: PCB total thickness = 1.10 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table 15. Case 3: PCB total thickness = 1.60 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Table 16. Document revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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 AN5407
List of figures

List of figures
Figure 1. Example of a GCPW in a 2-layer PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Figure 2. Example of a transmission line type GCPW on PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Figure 3. Stack-up example for 4-layer PCB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Figure 4. Characteristic impedance versus width variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 5. Characteristic impedance versus clearance variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 6. Example of schematic with controlled impedance identified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 7. Typical 4-layer PCB stack-up with three different types of vias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 8. Example of capacitors on RF lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 9. Thermal reliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 10. Spacing between vias around GCPW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 11. Clean return path example for RF currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 12. 90° bend example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 13. Ideal case: straight line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 14. Typical circuit for RFO harmonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Figure 15. EM radiation generated by HF signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 16. How to mitigate unintentional EM radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 17. PCB example with or without ground flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 18. PCB example with or without metal shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 19. GND and power planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Figure 20. Decoupling capacitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 21. High-frequency equivalent model of a capacitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 22. All layers of STM32WL reference layout for BGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 23. Top layer of STM32WL reference layout for BGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 24. Middle layer 1 of STM32WL reference layout for BGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 25. Middle layer 2 of STM32WL reference layout for BGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 26. Bottom layer of STM32WL reference layout for BGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 27. Typical stack-up for BGA package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Figure 28. Tx 50 ohms RF tracks (case 1, PCB total = 1.04 mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 29. Rx 100 ohms differential pair (case 1, PCB total = 1.04 mm). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 30. Tx 50 Ω RF tracks (case 2, PCB total = 1.10 mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Figure 31. Rx 100 Ω differential pair (case 2, PCB total = 1.10 mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Figure 32. Tx 50 Ω RF tracks (case 3, PCB total = 1.60 mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Figure 33. Rx 100 Ω differential pair (case 3, PCB total = 1.60 mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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 AN5407

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