Analog, PLL, and Digital Power Supply Filtering

To minimize EMI emissions, add decoupling capacitors with a ferrite bead at power supply terminals for the analog, phase-locked loop (PLL), and digital portions of the chip. Place this array as close to the chip as possible to minimize the inductance of the line and noise contributions to the system. An analog and digital supply example is shown below. In case of multiple power supply pins with the same function, tie them up to a single low-impedance point in the board and then add the decoupling capacitors, in addition to the ferrite bead. This array of caps and ferrite bead improve EMI and jitter performance. Take both EMI and jitter into account before altering the configuration.


Consider the recommendations listed below to achieve proper ESD/EMI performance:

1. Use a 0.01 mF cap on each cable power VBUS line to chassis GND close to the USB connector pin.
2. Use a 0.01 mF cap on each cable ground line to chassis GND next to the USB connector pin.
3. If voltage regulators are used, place a 0.01 mF cap on both input and output. This is to increase the immunity to ESD and reduce EMI. For other requirements, see the device-specific datasheet.

Analog, Digital, and PLL Partitioning



If separate power planes are used, they must be tied together at one point through a low-impedance bridge or preferably through a ferrite bead. Care must be taken to capacitively decouple each power rail close to the device. The analog ground, digital ground, and PLL ground must be tied together to the low-impedance circuit board ground plane.

Clock Routings

To address the system clock emissions between devices, place a ~10 to 130 W resistor in series with the clock signal. Use a trial and error method of looking at the shape of the clock waveform on a high-speed oscilloscope and of tuning the value of the resistance to minimize waveform distortion. The value on this resistor should be as small as possible to get the desired effect. Place the resistor close to the device generating the clock signal.

When routing the clock traces from one device to another, try to use the 3W spacing rule. The distance from the center of the clock trace to the center of any adjacent signal trace should be at least three times the width of the clock trace. Many clocks, including slow frequency clocks, can have fast rise and fall times. Using the 3W rule cuts down on crosstalk between traces. In general, leave space between each of the traces running parallel between the devices. Avoid using right angles when routing traces to minimize the routing distance and impedance discontinuities. For further protection from crosstalk, run guard traces beside the clock signals (GND pin to GND pin), if possible. This lessens clock signal coupling, as shown below.