PHYTEC Advantages

Deployment of a SOM into an application removes the challenges and risks of complex CPU circuitry design like fine pitch BGA placement, high-speed routing, design validation and EMC conformance. Design risk is reduced by localizing such complexity on an off-shelf SOM. Furthermore, use of a SOM as the insert-ready “core” of an embedded design allows companies to focus engineering efforts on end-application expertise and code without expending resources to reinvent complex processor circuitry and BSP support provided by the PHYTEC SOM. The SOM and BSP can also be leveraged as a “portable building block” across all stages of product development, from initial evaluation to mass production.

Among the foundations of our design quality are:

• choice of PCB base material and frequency control devices with tight timing characteristics;
• selection of components with sufficient voltage, current and temperature margins;
• optimal placement and grouping of components in layout;
• low EMI design ensured by tying 20% of all pins on the external SOM connector to ground (GND) to minimize loop areas;
• strategic placement of bypass capacitor grids at all ICs, and on top and bottom PCB planes, to reduce loop and keep high-speed currents localized;
• strategic placement of GND signals and stitching capacitors to provide optimal signal return paths;
• optimal signal integrity through 8- to 12-layer PCB stack-ups with solid GND and power planes;
• signal decoupling and routing topology across isolated PCB planes;
• use of industrial (-40… +85°C) or other extended temperature range components to enable deployment in a wide range of industrial applications; and
• extensive design verification.

We achieve subminiature board size by integrating the most recent advances in microBGA, PoP, dual-die, laser-drilled vertical Microvias and ultra-compact 01005 size passive components. Microvias bolster not only miniaturization, but also signal integrity. Due to small size, Microvias carry smaller parasitic capacitance and inductance and can be packed into ever smaller PCB space without increasing crosstalk and noise coupling strength. Small board size means short signal traces, further minimizing EMI susceptibility and radiation. The result is robust mixed signal and EMI-resistant designs.

Our comprehensive and rigorous design verification encompasses:

• advanced PCB layout analysis and simulation;
• voltage, current, power, timing, signal integrity and EMI measurement;
• temperature chamber and thermal shock testing;
• radiated emission, conducted emissions and radiated immunity testing in compliance with FCC Part 15, EN55011, EN55022, CISPR11, CISPR22, and CISPR32;
• vibration and mechanical stability; and
• compliance to IPC-610, IPC-7711/IPC-7721, CE and other requirements such as UL, J-STD and MTBF metrics.

Use of a SOM in target hardware, rather than a single PCB “flat design” also provides for separation of CPU circuitry from I/O circuitry. The larger Carrier Board can be a less costly 2- to 4-layer PCB, compared to the higher-layered, smaller PCB real estate of the SOM.

Some PHYTEC SOMs in support of lower-cost processors offer a Direct Solder Connect (DSC) interface for soldering of SOMs directly onto target hardware PCBs, thus eliminating the cost of PCB-to-PCB connectors in instances where swapping of SOMs is not required.

Our ISO9001-qualified internal quality control program encompasses all material, labor and production inputs. Following production every SOM is run through an extensive functional and electrical test, developed in-house. The extensive scope of test coverage includes the following:

• Boundary Scan;
• voltage and current measurements;
• functional operation; and
• continuous in-line process control and production monitoring, including sampling (dye-and-pry) and 3D x-ray.

All test results are logged in an SQL database that provides for 100% traceability, with results confirmed by high yields among our customer base across a wide range of deployments. Yields exceed 99.969% for SOMs in mass production.

In-house manufacturing enables PHYTEC to bridge the gap between product development and production. This includes:

• Common Data Exchange: seamless sharing and continuity of data between design and manufacturing, from Bills of Material and CAD design at engineering to Gerbers, production and test files for manufacturing. This also avoids data porting and related errors between engineering and manufacturing. For PHYTEC, this integrated flow allows product to move rapidly from initial specification to production.
• Design for Manufacturability (DfM) and Design for Test (DfT) Optimization: early collaboration between engineering and manufacturing accelerates both DfM and DfT. PHYTEC engineers design product with manufacturing and test in mind, choosing optimal materials, components, suppliers and processes. Our component engineers and purchasers select materials according to DfM principles for longevity, availability, reliability, cost and supply chain considerations.
• Rapid Prototype Iterations = “First Time Right” Designs: in-house production enables fast spins of prototype SOM and other hardware, to best ensure “first time right” design upon release to market and ramp to mass production. This in turn avoids costly design revisions and DfM delays following product launch.
• Agility: Manufacturing and Engineering under one roof cultivate rapid reaction to changing market conditions, ranging from avoidance of material and other market constraints to early adoption of new technology innovations.

PHYTEC uses manufacturing and engineering for continuous process control by feeding production experience back to engineering to always optimize and sustain our products. We benefit from versatile provisioning and design-in of our products in a wide variety of vertical markets. This provides feedback on application technologies, complexities and use cases in which PHYTEC products are deployed.

PHYTEC’s excellence in supply chain is an extension of our manufacturing. Our purchasing team has close partnerships and contract pricing with manufacturers of critical components. PHYTEC account management adeptly calibrates upstream materials and production planning with supply of product to downstream customers, and we can migrate manufacturing to high-volume partner facilities in Asia and the United States. These partners offer Business Continuity contingencies and Quality Assurance equivalent to our in-house standards. Our production yields exceed 99.95% for SOMs in mass production.