-A-

Acid Trap ~ An area in a circuit where the acid used in the manufacturing process cannot flow freely in and out, causing problems of under-etching or over-etching, and even future corrosion problems.

Active Component ~ A component that provides gain or amplification such as transistor, op-amp, or integrated circuit.

Active High ~ A signal whose active state is a logic "1".

Active Low ~ A signal whose active state is a logic "0".

Active Filter ~ Low-pass, band-pass, or high-pass filter composed of active components, therefore amplifying the signal.

Alternating Current (AC) ~ An electric current whose direction changes with a frequency.

Aggressor ~ The stronger or more influencing electrical signal, relating to signal integrity & crosstalk analysis.

Analog ~ Continuous value that closely resembles the real world and can be as precise as the measuring technique allows.

Analog to Digital (A/D) ~ The process of converting an analog value into its digital equivalent.

Angstrom ~ Unit of measure equal to 1/1000 of a micron.

Annular Ring ~ The portion on conductive material (metal), that completely surrounds the hole.

Anode ~ The positive electrode of a polarized component from which a forward current flows, such as a diode.

Antipad ~ Area of copper etched away around a via or a plated hole on a power/ground plane, thereby preventing an electrical connection being made to that plane.

American Wire Gauge (AWG) ~ Standard method of denoting wire diameter.  The smaller the number the larger the wire diameter.

Ampere (A) ~ The unit for measuring electric current flow.  One ampere equals one coulomb per second.

Amplitude ~ The highest value reached by voltage, current, or power during a complete cycle.

Aperture ~ A description of the shape and size of the gerber tool used to create a pad or track.

Astable ~ A circuit that has no stable state and thus oscillates at a frequency dependent on component values.

Asynchronous ~ A signal whose data is acknowledged or acted upon immediately, irrespective of any clock signal.

Attenuate ~ To weaken or reduce an electrical signal strength.

-B-

Ball Grid Array (BGA) ~ An IC package with an array of spherical balls used to electrically attach to the Printed Circuit Board.

Bandwidth ~ The width, in Hertz, of the band of frequencies between the half power points.

Bare Board ~ A finished printed circuit board that has no components installed yet.

Base ~ The region that lies between the emitter and collector of a bipolar junction transistor.

Bias ~ The DC voltage applied to a device to control it's operation.

Bill Of Materials (BOM) ~ A document that includes manufacturer’s part numbers, quantity required, device descriptions, value, type or size, and reference designators.

Binary ~ A number system that uses two values, "0" and "1".  Also called base 2 number system.

Bit ~ One binary digit, 8 bits equals one byte, 4 bits equals one nibble.

Blind Via ~ A via hole that is on only one external layer and inner layer(s).

Bonding Pad ~ Area of metallization on the device die which allows wires to be attached from die to device package.

Bump ~ Small spherical mound of metal which connects the die pad/pin to the printed circuit board.

Buffer ~ An amplifier used to isolate the load from the source.

Built In Self Test (BIST) ~ An on board algorithm that performs a functional logic test of the circuitry on a chip.

Buried Via ~ A via hole that is on internal layers only.

Byte ~ A group of eight digital bits.

-C-

Cathode ~ The negatively doped electrode of a polarized component such as a diode.

Capacitance ~ The ability for a device to store a charge, measured in Farads.

Chamfer ~ A shaped corner to eliminate an otherwise sharp edge.

Chip Scale Package (CSP) ~ An integrated circuit package which is no more than 20% larger than the die.

Chip On Board (COB) ~ Silicon die is directly attached to the printed circuit board using wire bonds.

Clipping ~ Distortion caused by overdriving an amplifier circuit.  The tops of the signal are clipped off.

Clock ~ A square wave used to synchronize several different circuit elements.

Collector ~ One side of a bipolar transistor. When the "base" is pulsed, current flows between the "emitter" to the "collector".

Compiler ~ Software that converts high level language (C, Pascal, etc.) into machine codes.

Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) ~ Semiconductor technology that uses n-type and p-type transistors wired together to reduce power consumption.

Coulomb (C) ~ Standard unit of electrical charge.  One coulomb is equivalent to one amp of current flowing through a conductor for one second.  (6.25 X 1018).  French Physicist Charles de Coulomb (1736-1806)

Court Yard ~ The keepout area of a mounted electronic component.

Crystal ~ A transparent quartz material that contains a uniform arrangement of molecules.  Used to make precise electronic oscillators.

Crosstalk ~ Form of noise caused by the electromagnetic coupling of one signal to an adjacent signal or wire.

-D-

Damping ~ Technique for stabilizing an electronic or mechanical device by eliminating unwanted or excessive oscillations.

Decibel (dB) ~ A logarithmic unit used to measure sound intensity or power gain.

Dicing ~ Process of cutting silicon die into squares or rectangles.

Die ~ Silicon area containing the entire integrated circuit design, excluding the package.

Dielectric ~ A material that is a poor electrical conductor.  (Glass, porcelain, mica, air)

Dielectric Constant ~ The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light traveling through a specified non-conductive material.

Diffusion ~ Semiconductor manufacturing process that infuses tiny quantities of impurities into a base material, such as silicon, to change its electrical characteristics.

Digital ~ Implies only two possible values, typically binary "true" or "false".

Diode ~ An electronic device which allows current flow in only one direction.

Decimal ~ Normal number system with values 0 to 9.

Discrete Component ~ A device which is distinct and treated as an individual unit.

Distortion ~ Any modification of the phase or amplitude relationship between two or more signals which causes the observed waveform to differ from the original.

Doping ~ Altering the electrical conductivity of a semiconductor material, such as silicon, by chemically introducing metal impurities.

 

These definitions were compiled from the internet and CADKraft Engineering assumes no liability in their accuracy nor their completeness.