u-blox LARA-R2 series System Integration Manual page 88


the dielectric constant of the dielectric material (e.g. dielectric constant of the FR-4 dielectric material in
Figure 40 and Figure 41)

the gap from the transmission line to the adjacent ground plane on the same layer of the transmission line
(e.g. 500 µm in Figure 40, 400 µm in Figure 41)
If the distance between the transmission line and the adjacent GND area (on the same layer) does not exceed 5
times the track width of the micro strip, use the "Coplanar Waveguide" model for the 50  calculation.
Additionally to the 50  impedance, the following guidelines are recommended for the transmission line design:

Minimize the transmission line length: the insertion loss should be minimized as much as possible, in the
order of a few tenths of a dB.

Add GND keep-out (i.e. clearance, a void area) on buried metal layers below any pad of component present
on the RF transmission line, if top-layer to buried layer dielectric thickness is below 200 µm, to reduce
parasitic capacitance to ground.

The transmission line width and spacing to GND must be uniform and routed as smoothly as possible: avoid
abrupt changes of width and spacing to GND.

Add GND vias around transmission line, as described in Figure 42.

Ensure solid metal connection of the adjacent metal layer on the PCB stack-up to main ground layer,
providing enough on the adjacent metal layer, as described in Figure 42.

Route RF transmission line far from any noise source (as switching supplies and digital lines) and from any
sensitive circuit (as analog audio lines).

Avoid stubs on the transmission line.

Avoid signal routing in parallel to transmission line or crossing the transmission line on buried metal layer.

Do not route microstrip line below discrete component or other mechanics placed on top layer.
An example of proper RF circuit design is reported in Figure 42. In this case, the ANT1 and ANT2 pins are
directly connected to SMA connectors by means of proper 50  transmission lines, designed with proper layout.
LARA
Figure 42: Example of circuit and layout for antenna RF circuits on application board
UBX-16010573 - R02
SMA
Objective Specification
LARA-R2 series - System Integration Manual
SMA
Design-in
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