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24 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2024 Technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous cars, smartphones, and wearable devices are significantly transforming the semi- conductor industry. e miniaturization trend drives the IC footprint to an even smaller pro- file, requiring tighter margins. From the PCB designer's perspective, smaller form factors are achievable, making devices more compact and lightweight. But double-sided SMT place- ment, reduced routing channels, and high- Integrated Circuit to PCB Integration speed constraints create multiple challenges for designers. However, there are some advan- tages to miniaturization: shorter interconnects between the IC and the PCB reduce signal loss and electromagnetic interference. High-speed digital signals in the GHz range benefit from reduced parasitics. Fortunately, most designers are not involved in this cutting-edge design paradigm. How- ever, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) Beyond Design Feature Column by Barry Olney, IN-CIRCUIT DESIGN PTY LTD / AUSTRALIA Figure 1: Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA board. (Source: Xilinx)