Rick Hartley on 4 Layer Boards and Power Delivery

Power planes (sometimes called a power layer) and ground planes are important for more than just distribution of supplying power. When defining reference planes, both with impedance controlled routing and in managing return paths, your stackup might force return currents to pass into a PCB power plane before being coupled back to a ground layer. Even though you define a GND reference layer as a the basis for your impedance-controlled trace width

Learn all about proper use of a PCB ground plane and grounded copper pour in your design. You’ll ensure signal integrity and low EMI with correct PCB ground plane placement.

How to assign layer types in a PCB? Expert Phil Salmony shares with us some of his favorite multilayer stackups, complete with guidelines.

Stack-up choices shape PCB performance, reliability, and manufacturability, especially in flex and UHDI. Learn how to design with materials in mind.

Avoid warpage, impedance issues, and delays. Learn how smart PCB stack-up design ensures performance, reliability, and smooth fabrication.

PCBs with mechanically drilled blind and buried vias use sub-laminations which differ from sequential lamination significantly.

Your high voltage PCB design will need a board material that’s specifically designed to tolerate high voltages, as well as potential for overvoltage and high temperature.