Getting Started with 6 Layer Boards | High-Speed Design

Tech Consultant Zach Peterson has gotten a few questions on Six-Layer Stackups so today, he's diving in! Compare a six-layer stackup to a four-layer board, learn how to work with 6 layers in high-speed design, what to do with power/ground, and more.
0:00 Intro
0:29 Six-Layer Stackup Structure
2:13 Power, Signal, and Ground Strategies
3:31 The Extra Two Layers
5:02 Orthogonal Routing Strategy?
7:26 High-Speed Design
8:49 Ground and Power Options
For more PCB Layout videos, click here: • PCB Layout
For more High-Speed Design videos, click here: • High-speed Design
For more PCB Design for Intermediate Users videos, click here: • PCB Design for Interme...
For more Tech Consultant Zach Peterson videos, click here: • Technical Consultant Z...
👉 6-Layer PCB Design Guidelines: resources.altium.com/p/6-laye...
👉 Designing a 6-Layer Stackup for Enhanced EMC: resources.altium.com/p/design...
👉 Alternative 4-layer Boards for High-Speed PCBs: • Alternative 4-layer Bo...
👉 15 Days Free Altium Designer Access: altium.com/yt/altium-academy
Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content.
👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: / altium
👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: / altium
👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: / altiumofficial
👉 Ready to try the industry's best-in-class design experience yourself? Download it today and get started! www.altium.com/downloads?utm_...
The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer!
About Altium LLC
Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products.
#Altium #PCBdesign #AltiumDesigner

[@rb8049]

Just seems best to use signal on top and alternate ground signal ground signal ground all the way down and the power is on signal layers where needed or available for decoupling. It’s the safest config and just works. Do keep your grounds stitched together and have ground transfer vias any time power or signal change layers.

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

I think the most common instance of going from 4 to 6 layer is to get 1 additional signal layer and one layer to dedicate to large power rails at multiple voltages. I've most often had to do this to route multiple rails to large groups of power pins on a BGA.

[@Beauty_of_Nature346]

Thanks for giving details about 6 layer stack up. Dear Zach, I am designing 6 layer stack up having signals upto 1.28 GBS and fast command. I used following stack up,,, power and ground on the top, layer 2 digital and analog signals, layer3 Gnd, layer 4 differential, layer 5 Gnd, layer bottom for components placement and layer switching signals. Also on every layer I used Gnd along signals. Is it ok or need to reconsider my design please

[@joeleonard4515]

Hey Zach, please can you do a video on stacks for flexible circuits

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

Oh that sounds like a great topic, sure I'll add it to my list

[@emreeroglu6976]

Hey Zach! Thanks for video. Could you make a multi signal board from 'zero' for High speed design in Altium designer ? (Ethernet,USB,CAN,UART,SPI,I2C signals on the same PCB) Your speech really cool but you know practice makes perfects!

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

Check out some of the projects I've done on the channel, some of these have been simpler and only use a could of the interfaces you listed, but these are a good way to get you started working with some of these interfaces.

[@harishrao2952]

Hi Zach, it was a nice overview. Is it possible for you to give different stack up arrangements that one can possibly do ? I mean to say how many different arrangements will it be possible for making a good 6 layer stack up board.

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

That's a good idea, actually I think it's important to understand how to extend some of the concepts up to higher layer counts as well.

[@harishrao2952]

@@Zachariah-Peterson Yes Zach, it will be a very handy video for designing multilayer stack up board with our own intuition

[@Entertainment_00001]

🙏

[@eduardshaid1718]

And why is there no tattoo with a 6-layer pcb ?

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

LOL

[@engchoontan8483]

CRT, microwave-oven, radio, radar, wifi, 5G, ..., baseline high-energy long-wave atmospheric bending frequencies, ... Direct for EMI-EMF to 6 or more layers of fry-bake spiral-potatoe layered-design inductance for precision multimeter composite-alloy resistence controlled electronics = out of range for troubleshooting.

[@TheChrisey]

One thing I find difficult is to get enough real estate for high speed signals with much IO. SDRAM and 24bit LCD in particular with the strict requirements of having to sandwich them between grounds. It seems that it would be a good idea to keep such highspeed signals at the bottom layer, with a ground plane above, as well as the top layer, when the PCB gets mounted in a grounded metal case

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

For high-speed designs the simplest stackup is (SIG + PWR)/GND/GND/(SIG + PWR), which does exactly what you describe. You need to start adding those internal layers once certain components (BGA) have high enough pin counts or you have completely run out of room on the outer layers.