MRF49XAT-I-ST Datasheet, PDF (75/102 Pages) Microchip Technology – ISM Band Sub-GHz RF Transceiver

The following guidelines explain the requirements of
the above mentioned layers.
• It is important to keep the original PCB thickness,
since any change will affect antenna performance
(see total thickness of dielectric) or microstrip
lines’ characteristic impedance.
• For good transmit and receive performance, the
trace lengths at RF pins must be kept as short as
possible. Using small, surface mount components
(in 0402/0603 package) yields good performance
and keeps the RF circuit small. RF connections
should be short and direct.
• Except for the antenna layout, avoid sharp
corners since they can act as an antenna. Round
corners will eliminate possible future EMI
problems.
• Digital lines are prone to be very noisy when
handling periodic waveforms and fast
clock/switching rates. Avoid RF signal layout
close to any of the digital lines.
• A VIA filled ground patch underneath the IC
transceiver is mandatory.
• Power supply must be distributed to each pin in a
star topology and low-ESR capacitors must be
placed at each pin for proper decoupling noise.
• Thorough decoupling on each power pin is
beneficial for reducing in-band transceiver noise,
particularly when this noise degrades perfor-
mance. Usually, low value caps (27 pF – 47 pF)
combined with large value caps (100 nF) will
cover a large spectrum of frequency.
• Passive component (inductors) should be in the
high-frequency category and the Self Resonant
Frequency (SRF) should be at least two times
higher than the operating frequency.
MRF49XA
• The additional trace length affects the crystal
oscillator by adding parasitic capacitance to the
overall load of the crystal. To minimize this, place
the crystal as close as possible to the RF device.
• Setting short and direct connections between the
components on board minimizes the effects of
“frequency pulling” that might be introduced by
stray capacitance. It even allows the internal load
capacitance of the chip to be more effective in
properly loading the crystal oscillator circuit.
• Long run tracks of clock signal may radiate and
cause interference. This can degrade receiver
performance and add harmonics or unwanted
modulation to the transmitter.
• Keep clock connections as short as possible and
surround the clock trace with an adjacent ground
plane pour. Pouring helps in reducing any
radiation or crosstalk due to long run traces of the
clock signal.
• Low value decoupling capacitors, typically 0.01 μF
– 0.1 μF, should be placed for VDD of the chip and
for bias points of the RF circuit.
• High value decoupling capacitors, typically 2.2 μF
– 10 μF, should be placed at the point where
power is applied to the PCB.
• Power supply bypassing is necessary. Poor
bypassing contributes to conducted interference
which can cause noise and spurious signals to
couple into the RF sections, significantly reducing
performance.
© 2009-2011 Microchip Technology Inc.
Preliminary
DS70590C-page 75