Texas Instruments CC3100 SimpleLink User manual

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and

Internet of Things Solution Layout Guidelines

User's Guide

Literature Number: SWRU370B

June 2014–Revised August 2018

2SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

Submit Documentation Feedback

Table of Contents

Contents

1 Trademarks......................................................................................................................... 4

2 Device Overview ................................................................................................................. 5

3 PCB Specification ................................................................................................................ 5

3.1 PCB Stack-Up ............................................................................................................ 5

3.2 PCB Design Rules ....................................................................................................... 6

3.3 Layer Information......................................................................................................... 6

4 Layout Information............................................................................................................... 7

4.1 Placement of Components.............................................................................................. 7

4.2 Layer Information......................................................................................................... 8

5 Layout Guidelines .............................................................................................................. 12

5.1 RF......................................................................................................................... 12

5.2 Power..................................................................................................................... 16

5.3 Clock ..................................................................................................................... 17

5.4 Digital I/O ................................................................................................................ 17

5.5 QFN Ground............................................................................................................. 18

5.6 Recommended Footprint .............................................................................................. 19

6 Summary........................................................................................................................... 20

7 Additional References......................................................................................................... 20

Revision History.......................................................................................................................... 21

www.ti.com

SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

List of Figures

1 Example Stack-up ........................................................................................................... 5

2 CC3100BOOST 3.3-A Placement Diagram .............................................................................. 7

3 Layer-1 ........................................................................................................................ 8

4 Layer-2 ........................................................................................................................ 9

5 Layer-3....................................................................................................................... 10

6 Layer-4....................................................................................................................... 11

7 RF Section Layout ......................................................................................................... 12

8 Filter Routing................................................................................................................ 14

9 Coplanar Waveguide (Cross Section) With GND and via Stitching ................................................. 15

10 CPW With GND (Top View)............................................................................................... 15

11 7x7 Ground Vias on Ground Pad ........................................................................................ 18

12 Split Solder Paste Into Smaller Blocks .................................................................................. 18

13 Recommended Footprint.................................................................................................. 19

List of Tables

1 PCB Design Rules........................................................................................................... 6

2 4 Layer PCB.................................................................................................................. 6

3 Inductors ...................................................................................................................... 7

4 Antenna Guidelines ........................................................................................................ 13

5 Recommended Components ............................................................................................. 13

6 Characteristic of Recommended Antenna .............................................................................. 13

7 Filter Guidelines ............................................................................................................ 14

8 Characteristic of Recommended Filter .................................................................................. 15

9 Recommended Values for the PCB...................................................................................... 16

10 Power Management........................................................................................................ 16

11 Characteristic of Recommended 32K XTAL............................................................................ 17

12 Characteristic of Recommended 40M XTAL............................................................................ 17

4SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

Submit Documentation Feedback

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

User's Guide

SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of

Things Solution Layout Guidelines

..................................................................................................... Embedded Processing Applications

ABSTRACT

This document provides the design guidelines of a 4-layer PCB board, for the CC31xx and CC32xx

SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®family of devices. The CC31xx and CC32xx are easy to lay-out, QFN-packaged

devices. Optimize the board’s performance by following these suggestions during the board’s design. The

first section is a brief overview of the SimpleLink Wi-Fi family of devices. The second section focuses on

the PCB specification; the third section addresses components placement, and board layer information.

The last section, on layout guidelines, covers the board’s main sections such as RF, power, clock, digital

I/O, and the ground. Each section can be read independently.

In addition to this document, TI recommends verifying the schematic board design with the associated

schematic checklist.

1 Trademarks

SimpleLink, Internet-on-a-chip, E2E are trademarks of Texas Instruments.

ARM, Cortex are registered trademarks of ARM Limited.

Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Type Layer Height(um)

Mask 25

Copper L1 35

FR-4 255

Copper L2 35

FR-4 350

Copper L3 35

FR-4 255

Copper L4 35

Mask 25

Total 1050

Total thickness ~ 1.1mm (+/- 10%)

www.ti.com

Device Overview

SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

2 Device Overview

Start the design with the industry’s first Internet-on-a-chip™. Created for the Internet of Things (IoT), the

SimpleLink Wi-Fi family has several variants. The CC3100 SimpleLink Wi-Fi and IoT solution dramatically

simplifies the implementation of Internet connectivity. This product integrates all protocols for Wi-Fi and

Internet, which greatly minimizes host microcontroller (MCU) software requirements. CC3200 device is a

wireless MCU that integrates a high-performance ARM®Cortex®-M4 MCU with the CC3100 network

processor subsystem, allowing customers to develop an entire application with a single IC. With on-chip

Wi-Fi, Internet, and robust security protocols, no prior Wi-Fi experience is needed for faster development.

SimpleLink Wi-Fi is a complete platform solution, including various tools and software, sample

applications, user and programming guides, reference designs, and the TI E2E™ support community. The

devices are available in an easy to lay-out QFN package. The layout for both devices are similar, with a

higher number of IOs routed for the CC3200.

3 PCB Specification

3.1 PCB Stack-Up

An example stack-up is shown in Figure 1, used for the construction of the CC3100BOOST Rev3.3-A. The

user can alter the layer stack-up based on their requirements, but the impedance of the 50-Ωlines should

be recalculated. Having the L1-L2 distance reduced helps improve the grounding and the RF decoupling.

TI recommends keeping the L1-L2 distance similar to the recommended value.

Figure 1. Example Stack-up

PCB Specification

www.ti.com

6SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

Submit Documentation Feedback

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

3.2 PCB Design Rules

Table 1. PCB Design Rules

Parameter Value Comments

Number of layers 4

Thickness 1.1 mm ±

10% For greater thickness increase the distance between L2 and L3

Size of PCB 2.0” x 1.7”

Solder mask Red Can be replaced with any color

Dielectric FR4

Silk White Can be replaced with any color

Surface finish ENIG

Min track width 6 mils Min track width can be reduced but cost would be higher

Min spacing 6 mils Min spacing can be reduced but the cost would be higher

Mid drill diameter 8 mils 12-mil diameter drill is used on the Rev 3.3-A board

Copper thickness 1 oz

Lead free / ROHS Yes

Impedance control Yes 50-Ωcontrolled impedance trace of 18-mils width on L1 w.r.t L2 (GND).

Air gap = 15 mils

Note: The above calculations are based on CPW-G (NOT microstrip).

Impedance variation 5%

3.3 Layer Information

The 4-layer PCB is used with the configuration, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. 4 Layer PCB

Layer Usage Notes

1 Signal + RF RF trace is a CPW on L1 w.r.t. L2 ground

2 GND Reference plane for RF

3 Power + signal The power planes for the power amplifier (PA), analog blocks and the main input supply are routed on

this layer

4 Power + signal

www.ti.com

Layout Information

SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

4 Layout Information

The complete layout package is available for download on the TI website at http://www.ti.com/tool/cc3200-

launchxl-rd and http://www.ti.com/tool/cc3100boost-rd. TI recommends that the customers copy the exact

layout of the engine area to ensure optimum performance as measured on the CC3x00 reference boards.

4.1 Placement of Components

The components placement on the CC3100 BoosterPack is provided in Figure 2. This placement provides

optimum performance of the device. Great care must be taken for the power inductors components to

ensure reduced emissions and optimum EVM and mask performance. The power inductors should be

placed close to the device, and the power traces should be minimized. The CC3x00 device is sensitive to

the layout of the DC-DC converter, which can impact the performance of the device. For the main

inductors at the analog, power amplifier, and digital DC-DC output, see Table 3.

Table 3. Inductors

Inductor @ Value Size Current Rating Recommended PN Description

ANA DCDC OUT 2.2 µH 1008 1.3A LQM2HPN2R2MG0L INDUCTOR 2.2UH 20% 1008

PA DCDC OUT 1 µH 1008 1.5A LQM2HPN1R0MJ0L INDUCTOR 1UH 20% 1008

DIG DCDC OUT 2.2 µH 1008 1.3A LQM2HPN2R2MG0L INDUCTOR 2.2UH 20% 1008

Figure 2. CC3100BOOST 3.3-A Placement Diagram

Layout Information

www.ti.com

8SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

Submit Documentation Feedback

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

4.2 Layer Information

4.2.1 Layer-1

Most of the routing is performed on Layer-1 to avoid vias on the board (see Figure 3). The trace widths

are maximized for high-current pins and minimized for signal pins. For example, the signal pins can be

routed with 6 mils (4 mils, if possible) and the power pins with 12 mils and above.

Figure 3. Layer-1

www.ti.com

Layout Information

SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

4.2.2 Layer-2

Layer-2 is primary ground plane for the board reference (see Figure 4). It has a void for the antenna

section, which is per the antenna guidelines. This return current path for the input de-coupling capacitors

(C11, C13, and C18) is routed on L2 using thick traces to isolate RF ground from a noisy supply ground.

This is also required to meet the IEEE spectral mask specifications.

Figure 4. Layer-2

Layout Information

www.ti.com

10 SWRU370B–June 2014–Revised August 2018

Submit Documentation Feedback

CC3100 and CC3200 SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi®and Internet of Things Solution

Layout Guidelines

4.2.3 Layer-3

Layer-3 is used to route the power lines to the device (see Figure 5). Power planes are necessary for the

power amplifier (PA) and the main supply input to the device. More details are available in subsequent

sections.

Figure 5. Layer-3

Other manuals for CC3100 SimpleLink

This manual suits for next models

Table of contents

Other Texas Instruments Computer Hardware manuals

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TMS320 Series User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments MSP430x4xx Family User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments LM97937EVM R2 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments KCU105 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments MSP-FET430 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TMS320C67X+ DSP User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TRF3722 EVM User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments PCI7620 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments F280025 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments bq24650EVM User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments DS10 Operating instructions

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TPS65941515-Q1 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TIDA-010243 Guide

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Hercules TMS570LS12 Series User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments MSP-FET430X110 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments bq50002 User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TMS320F280 Series User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments ADS8365MEVM User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TRF0206-SP User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments INA260EVM-PDK User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments TMS320C6000 DSP User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments OMAP35 Series User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments ADS41 Series User manual

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments DP83867E User manual

Popular Computer Hardware manuals by other brands

EMC2

EMC2 VNX Series Hardware Information Guide

Panasonic

Panasonic DV0PM20105 Operation manual

Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Electric Q81BD-J61BT11 user manual

Gigabyte

Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX DDR4 user manual

Raidon

Raidon iT2300 Quick installation guide

National Instruments

National Instruments PXI-8186 user manual

Hauppauge

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Quick installation guide

Kontron

Kontron CP6002 user guide

Manhattan

Manhattan 702843 user manual

Aphex

Aphex 230 instruction manual

AMD

AMD Phenom II Product data sheet

Intel

Intel NUC 12 Pro user guide

dbx

dbx Zone Pro 1260 user manual

Galaxy

Galaxy GHDX2-2430S-24F4D Installation and hardware reference manual

Intel

Intel AXXRMFBU4 Quick installation user's guide

Kontron

Kontron DIMM-PC/MD product manual

ST X-NUCLEO-SAFEA1B How to use

STEINWAY LYNGDORF

STEINWAY LYNGDORF SP-1 installation manual