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20 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2025 B E YO N D D ES I G N Component placement on a printed circuit board is more involved than simply fitting parts into available space. It plays a pivotal role in determining the board's overall manufacturabil- ity, performance, reliability, and cost. Poor placement can com- promise even the most meticu- lously designed PCB. Effective component placement alleviates mechanical stress, promotes efficient thermal management, and helps prevent excessive heat buildup. Conversely, poor by B arr y O lney, In-C ircuit D esign PT Y LTD / Australia Effective Floor Planning Strategies placement can lead to solder- ing obstructions, assembly and inspection challenges, increased layer counts, signal integrity issues, power noise, and electro- magnetic compatibility failures. Anyone who thinks placement is easy has never tackled an RF or high-speed layout. In this month's column, I'll delve into the high-speed considerations that make effective floor plan- ning both an art and a science. Before we begin place- ment, establish the layer stack. Stackup planning establishes the foundation, while placement orchestrates the execution. For instance, the iCD Stackup Plan- ner gives you the dielectric pre- cision and impedance clarity to make confident layout decisions. Use the stackup to decide where sensitive nets should live, then place components to ensure clean transitions between those layers. Run impedance targets for the required single-ended and differential pairs, set by the technology used. Based on the ▼ F i g u re 1 : T h e s e g re g at i o n of c o m p o n e nt s by l o g i c g ro u p s a n d f u n ct i o n a l i t y.