-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueDesigning Through the Noise
Our experts discuss the constantly evolving world of RF design, including the many tradeoffs, material considerations, and design tips and techniques that designers and design engineers need to know to succeed in this high-frequency realm.
Learning to Speak ‘Fab’
Our expert contributors clear up many of the miscommunication problems between PCB designers and their fab and assembly stakeholders. As you will see, a little extra planning early in the design cycle can go a long way toward maintaining open lines of communication with the fab and assembly folks.
Training New Designers
Where will we find the next generation of PCB designers and design engineers? Once we locate them, how will we train and educate them? What will PCB designers of the future need to master to deal with tomorrow’s technology?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Silicon to Systems: Collaboration Between IC and PCB Design Continues
October 2, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007Estimated reading time: 1 minute

The walls are coming down between the designers of chips and PCBs. Because of the complexity of electronic systems, IC designers and PCB designers are increasingly finding themselves in need of information from technologists upstream and downstream, from silicon through the system level.
Stephen Chavez, senior product marketing manager at Siemens, shares his thoughts on this silicon-to-systems approach and what it means for PCB designers, EDA tool providers, and system-level developers as well.
More technologists are pointing out the need for PCB designers to focus on silicon-to-systems. What does that term mean to you and to EDA companies like Siemens?
Stephen Chavez: Silicon-to-systems refers to a holistic approach in electronics design where the interaction and integration of silicon (ICs, chips) are considered all the way through to the system level (PCBs, full electronic products). For EDA companies like Siemens, this means developing tools and methodologies that support seamless design flows from the chip level up to the complete system. This approach ensures that all components work together efficiently, reduces design iterations, and improves time-to-market by addressing potential integration issues early in the design process.
What do PCB designers need to understand about silicon and packages?
PCB designers must understand the following aspects of silicon and packages:
- Signal integrity and power integrity: As signals travel from silicon through the package to the PCB, maintaining signal quality and managing power distribution is critical. PCB designers must account for high-speed signal requirements, impedance control, and proper power delivery network design to avoid noise in regard to crosstalk, EMI, and EMC.
- Thermal management: Higher integration and power densities in silicon and packages lead to heat generation. Designers must incorporate effective thermal management solutions, such as heat sinks, thermal vias, and appropriate material choices.
- Land patterns and layout considerations: Understanding the physical and electrical requirements of IC packages is crucial. This includes correct pin mapping, accommodating different package types (e.g., BGA, LGA, microBGAs, QFP, etc.), and ensuring sufficient spacing and layer stackup to include the necessary via technologies to support the chip's needs.
- Design for manufacturing: Awareness of the manufacturing processes for both silicon and PCB can help designers create designs that are easier to manufacture, test, and assemble, reducing costs and time. Close collaboration with your external suppliers is key to success.
To read the rest of this article in the September 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Material Selection and RF Design
04/21/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineInnovation rarely sleeps in this industry, and the RF laminate segment offers a perfect example. RF materials have continued to evolve, providing PCB designers much more than an either/or choice. I asked materials expert Alun Morgan, technology ambassador for the Ventec International Group, to walk us through the available RF material sets and how smart material selection can ease the burden on RF designers and design engineers.
EDA Tools and RF Design Techniques
04/14/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineHigh-speed PCB design is complex enough, but RF design can be a whole new ball game. RF designers have to contend with tuning and other ideas that traditional PCB designers don’t have to worry about, as well as crosstalk, parasitic capacitance, and material limitations. Most PCB design tool companies now offer RF design options, so designers no longer have to use pureplay RF design tools for anything but the most cutting-edge designs. Cadence Design Systems expanded its RF EDA offerings by acquiring the RF software company AWR a few years ago. We asked David Vye, product management director at Cadence, to share his thoughts on EDA software, RF design, and what new RF designers and engineers need to understand.
The Key to First-pass Success in PCB Design
04/10/2025 | Gerry Partida, Summit InterconnectIn the dynamic world of PCB manufacturing, achieving first-pass success hinges on more than just cutting-edge equipment and skilled teams. At Summit Interconnect, we have seen countless successful launches of advanced HDI designs that can be traced directly to engagement between designers and fabricators early in the design phase. Unfortunately, collaboration in the PCB industry often begins only after problems arise—such as field failures, assembly fallout, or low fabrication yields. This reactive approach is the wrong starting point for collaboration.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Insights into PCB Design and Manufacturing with Polar Instruments
04/03/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOErik Bateham discusses Polar's latest book, which enhances insights for PCB designers and manufacturers. The book, "The Designer's Guide to... More Secrets of High-Speed PCBs," features a guest chapter on 2D via design modeling. Erik highlights the industry's shift towards UHDI and the challenges in measuring at micron levels.
Target Condition: Designing vs. Inventing
03/27/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionAfter hearing me rave about IPC APEX EXPO for years, my boss, Chad Orebaugh, joined me at the show for the first time last year. We met at the registration counter, got our badges, and he said, “Okay, Kelly, impress me.”