Stackups: The Design within the Design

From material selection and understanding laminate datasheets, to impedance planning, glass weave skew and rigid-flex materials, topic expert Bill Hargin has written a unique book on PCB stackups.

According to the author, “The difference between a high-speed PCB design that can be built, and a design that should be built, depends upon the backbone of the design itself: the stackup. The stackup touches every single high-speed signal and yet has had surprisingly little written about it.”

While perhaps not the final word on the subject of stackups, this book is a good place to kick off a broader discussion of stackup planning and material selection in an effort to comprehend what Hargin calls, “the design within the design.”