1.

Consider adding a ferrite bead or small resistor (1033 ohms) in series with any clock or
other high speed output, right at the driving pin. This will help damp any ringing, and
also helps provide an impedance match.
2. Since clock lines are critical, position the chips to minimize any clock runs. As previously
mentioned, keep the clock traces and crystals away from any connectors.
3. Route the high speed lines first, and keep those lines short and direct. Consider hand
routing the critical lines, but if you use an auto router, be sure to check to see where the
lines have been routed.
4. The most critical circuits for EMI susceptibility are the reset, interrupt, and control lines.
The entire system can be brought to a halt if one of these lines are corrupted by EMI.
Even though these circuits may have slow (or even nonexistent) repetition rates, they are
still vulnerable to transients and spikes which can result in false triggering. Use high
frequency filtering, such as small capacitors (0.001 mf typical) and ferrite beads (or 100
ohm resistors) to protect these lines. These components should be installed right at the
input pins to the microcontroller.
5. EMI protection components:
Gas arrestor is a kind of dish-shaped capacitor filled with gas, frequently
neon. Overvoltage in excess of ~100V creates a plasma that limits the IEC
I voltage at low levels and carries high currents. Gas arrestors absorb highlevel transients, but are not suitable for fast transients because the
emergence of plasma takes some time. They are not suitable for mains
protection and are difficult to use with low-source impedances. Leakage
currents
in
normal
operation
are
very
low.
Varistor is an arrestor made with metal oxide (mostly zinc), usually
shaped like a tablet with two connectors, one on each side. Behaving
similar to a zener diode, a varistor responds much faster than the gas
arrestor, but exhibits high leakage currents especially when the signal
approaches
the
clamping
voltage.
Suppressor (TransZorb) diodes are used to limit fast transients at low
voltage levels. Their power-dissipation capability is limited according to
their form factor. As for varistors, they exhibit significant leakage currents
in the vicinity of their breakdown voltage. Junction capacitance is also
significant, so in fast systems they are usually decoupled with diode
bridges.
ESD structures are novel designs that behave somewhat like diacs. These
designs are integrated in the MAX202E, MAX485E, other RS-232/RS485 transceiver ICs, and recently in analog multiplexers such as
the MAX4558. Exhibiting low capacitance and low leakage currents, they

are

suitable

for

both

ESD

and

FTB

protection.

Chokes, ferrites can attenuate high frequency and fast voltage peaks, but
do not absorb much energy. Beware of resonant effects, and always use
with attenuating capacitors (commonly an LC filter in a T-structure). An
inductor manufacturer usually specifies the self-resonant frequency (SRF).
The SRF comes from the parasitic capacitance of an inductor that cancels
out the inductance when operating above the SRF. For better performance,
use an inductor as an RF choke below its SRF, and never above the SRF.
These devices are frequently used to protect against common-mode
disturbances
and
for
mains
filtering.
Capacitors are perhaps the most important protective element. A
capacitor's important features are equivalent series resistance (ESR),
inductance, high-current capability, and voltage capability. Proper
placement of capacitors in the layout is crucial to minimizing EMI. When
used properly, capacitors create a high-frequency ground to from a
lowpass filter, bypassing the RF signal to ground. Capacitors also have a
self-resonant frequency, a point at which it becomes inductive. Just like an
inductor, a capacitor should be used below its SRF. Another way to
understand this is to make sure that the SRF is much higher than the
frequency
of
noise
that
needs
to
be
filtered.
Series resistors are also among the most important and lowest cost
protective elements. Properly selected according to resistance and power
dissipation, series resistors can replace more costly elements with
comparable results.
6. Plan your board layout
1. Different circuits interact in subtle and unexpected ways, so you must plan
your layout.
2. Group the circuits by speed of operation.
3. The high speed circuits are physically separated from the I/O connectors to
minimize parasitic high frequency coupling.
4. the cables still act as antennas for high frequency energy. A key concern here
is location. A common problem is placing a clock or crystal next to an I/O
port, which results in parasitic coupling to the I/O wiring. A similar problem is
routing reset or interrupts lines next to I/O lines, which allow them to pick up
transients from the outside world. Keep these components and traces at least
25 mm (1 inch) away from any input/output or power connectors and wiring.