When it comes to designing complex high-density PCBs, layer planning is important for different types of applications. Poor PCB layer stackup management contributes to the poor PCB design review film and ultimately cause the PCB to malfunction. Layer stackup is a process where lots of things are merged in a simple but calculative way into a single PCB design. To understand layer stacking, it is important to know the different types of layers that are used in printed circuit board design. It is not just simple copper connections that transfer electricity, but it is much more complex in terms of modern PCB routing techniques due to the highly sophisticated components and other parameters. In this article, we thought of clarifying some of the theory and design aspects of common PCB Layer Stack Management techniques that are used for high-density PCB designs.

In our previous PCB articles, we have discussed many PCB design techniques like:

Basic of PCB
Via Stitching in PCB Design
Understanding Blind, Buried, and Through-hole vias in PCB
How can Teardrops help in Improving Quality and Stability of your PCB Design
You can check those out if you are interested to learn about PCB design and manufacturing. That being said, let’s look into the tips to reduce PCB manufacturing costs.

What is Layers Stacking PCB Design?
In multilayer board design, mainly three types of layers are used. The layer types are Signal layer, Plane layer, Mixed layers. Signal layers consist of multiple types of signals. The image given below shows a perfect signal layer PCB that has multiple types of signals not depending on special criteria. These are mainly low voltage, low current signals that are mainly used to carry medium to high-speed data lines. This type of layer does not consist of the Ground plane or Power Plane that is made by polygon pour. There is a reason for that. In very high-speed signals, having ground planes or power planes contribute to the impedance changes due to the buildup of stray capacitance as well as stray inductance.