ATSAMB11XR datasheet(71/87 Pages) MICROCHIP

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14.

ATSAMB11-ZR210CA Design Considerations

14.1

Placement and Routing Guidelines

It is critical to follow the recommendations listed below to achieve the best RF performance for the

ATSAMB11-ZR210CA module:

The host board design should have a solid ground plane. It is recommended to have a 3x3 grid of

GND vias solidly connecting the exposed GND paddle of the module to the ground plane on the

inner/other layers of the host board. The module ground pins should have ground vias either on or

right next to the host PCB pad.

Place GND polygon pour below the module. Do not have any breaks in this GND plane. Place

sufficient GND vias connecting this GND polygon pour with the GND plane on the inner/other layers

of the host board.

When the ATSAMB11-ZR210CA is placed on the host board, a provision for the antenna must be

made. The antenna should not be placed directly on top of the host board design as seen in the

following figure (a). The best placement, for example, is placing the module at the edge of the host

board such that the module edge with the antenna extends beyond the main board edge by 3 mm,

as shown as (b). Alternatively, an acceptable case could be to provide a cutout in the host board,

as shown as (c). The cutout should be 7.5 mm (minimum) x 3 mm as shown in the Figure 14-2.

Keep large metal objects as far away as possible from the antenna, to avoid electromagnetic field

blocking.

Do not enclose the antenna within a metal shield.

Keep any components that may radiate noise or signals within the 2.4 GHz – 2.5 GHz frequency

band far away from the antenna or better yet, shield those components. Any noise radiated from

the host board in this frequency band will degrade the sensitivity of the ATSAMB11-ZR210CA.

Avoid routing any traces on the top layer of the host board in the area directly below the module.

ATSAMB11XR/ZR

Datasheet Preliminary

DS70005342A-page 71

ATSAMB11XR Datasheet(PDF) 71 Page - Microchip Technology