Circuit board layout and stack-up for the FPD-Link III devices must be designed to provide low-noise power feed to the device. Good layout practice also separates high-frequency or high-level inputs and outputs to minimize unwanted noise pickup, feedback, and interference. Power system performance may be greatly improved by using thin dielectrics (2 to 4 mils) for power or ground sandwiches. This arrangement provides plane capacitance for the PCB power system with low-inductance parasitics, which has proven especially effective at high frequencies, and makes the value and placement of external bypass capacitors less critical. External bypassing should be low-ESR ceramic capacitors with high-quality dielectric. The voltage rating of the ceramic capacitors must be at least 2× the power supply voltage being used.

TI recommends surface-mount capacitors due to their smaller parasitics. When using multiple capacitors per supply pin, place the smaller value closer to the pin. A large bulk capacitor is recommend at the point of power entry. This is typically in the 47-µF to 100-µF range, which smooths low frequency switching noise. TI recommends connecting power and ground pins directly to the power and ground planes with bypass capacitors connected to the plane with via on both ends of the capacitor. Connecting power or ground pins to an external bypass capacitor increases the inductance of the path.

A small body size X7R chip capacitor, such as 0603 or 0402, is recommended for external bypass. Its small body size reduces the parasitic inductance of the capacitor. The user must pay attention to the resonance frequency of these external bypass capacitors, usually in the range of 20 to 30 MHz. To provide effective bypassing, multiple capacitors are often used to achieve low impedance between the supply rails over the frequency of interest. At high frequency, it is also a common practice to use two vias from power and ground pins to the planes, reducing the impedance at high frequency.

Some devices provide separate power and ground pins for different portions of the circuit. This is done to isolate switching noise effects between different sections of the circuit. Separate planes on the PCB are typically not required. Pin Description tables typically provide guidance on which circuit blocks are connected to which power pin pairs (see Pin Configuration and Functions). In some cases, an external filter may be used to provide clean power to sensitive circuits such as PLLs.

Use at least a four-layer board with a power and ground plane. Place the CSI-2 signals away from the single-ended or differential FPD RX input traces to prevent coupling from the CSI-2 signals to the RX inputs. The following sections provide important details for routing the FPD-Link III traces, PoC filter, and CSI-2 traces.