nRF54L Series Express

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Hardware layout and design

Let’s take a look at the reference layout for the nRF54L15 WLCSP package. This design contains various capacitors, inductors, two ferrite beads, a 32 MHz crystal (HFXO), and a 32.768 kHz crystal (LFXO). The overall dimensions of the layout are 8.27 mm x 10.87 mm.

Similarly, the reference layout for the nRF54L15 QFN-48 contains various capacitors, inductors, and resistors, a ferrite bead, a 32 MHz crystal (HFXO), and a 32.768 kHz crystal (LFXO). It is 13.00 mm x 15.00 mm.

You can find both of these reference layouts on the nRF54L15 Reference layout page. These resources include the schematic and layout, Bill of Materials (BOM) and Altium Designer files.

We recommend following the reference designs available, both for schematics and PCB layouts, especially for the RF path and matching network. This is critical for achieving optimal RF performance and ensuring regulatory compliance.

The RF part of the schematic should precisely follow Nordic Semiconductor’s reference design. This involves copying the component values, geometry, relative placement of the components, the PCB stack-up, and trace lengths.

In RF design, the high frequencies and short wavelengths can cause the phase of a signal to vary along the transmission lines. This variation can lead to signal reflections in the transmission line, resulting in signal power loss. To prevent this, the system (that is, the SoC and antenna) should be matched to a 50-ohm reference point.

You can see the matching network and harmonics filter, designed to align the nRF54L15 SoC with the 50 ohms reference point, inside the red box in the reference layout for the nRF54L15 QFN-48 package:

It’s often not possible to replicate the reference layout exactly, as differences in substrate, number of layers, length of transmission lines, and other factors can differ. Therefore, tuning the values of the components is necessary to achieve optimal RF performance.

Note

Nordic’s technical support provides free schematics and hardware reviews for all customers. Additionally, we offer pre-certification RF testing and antenna tuning upon request via DevZone.

Just create a private DevZone ticket and ask for this.

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