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RF antenna design and layout is one area that requires careful attention to detail and some pointers from mixed-signal designers. If you’re just getting started with high-frequency analog design, follow these tips to ensure isolation and signal integrity in your RF design.
These days, it’s hard to think of a consumer product that doesn’t contain an antenna. Even my garage door opener can connect to my phone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Each time a new RF antenna gets added to a PCB layout, it can create a new headache for RF designers, especially as analog design skills start to become critical again. With so many RF capabilities being added to new PCBs, how can designers ensure the signals in their system are not corrupted and signal integrity is preserved?
Thankfully, there are some simple design choices you can make to help ensure your RF signals are not degraded by nearby digital components. These same design choices will help prevent multiple analog signals from interfering with each other. While there are plenty of topics in RF design to consider when designing mixed-signal or all-RF systems, antenna design and layout are probably two of the most important. Here’s what you need to know about RF antenna design in your PCB and how to ensure analog signal integrity.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
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