STDA033 October   2026 MSPM0G3105-Q1 , MSPM0G3106-Q1 , MSPM0G3107-Q1 , MSPM0G3505-Q1 , MSPM0G3506-Q1 , MSPM0G3507-Q1 , MSPM0L1227-Q1 , MSPM0L1228-Q1 , MSPM0L2227-Q1 , MSPM0L2228-Q1 , MSPM33C321A

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
    1.     How Does an Electromagnetic Field Start in a Circuit?
    2.     Near-Field and Far-Field Electromagnetic Fields
  5. 2Common Sources of EMI in Electronic Designs
    1. 2.1 Resistors
      1. 2.1.1 Equivalent Series Inductance (ESL)
      2. 2.1.2 Shunt Capacitance
      3. 2.1.3 Parasitic Capacitance to Ground
    2. 2.2 Capacitors
      1. 2.2.1 Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR)
      2. 2.2.2 Equivalent Series Inductance (ESL)
      3. 2.2.3 Leakage Resistance
      4. 2.2.4 Dielectric Absorption (Soakage)
    3. 2.3 Inductors
      1. 2.3.1 Direct Current Resistance (DCR)
      2. 2.3.2 Parasitic Capacitance
      3. 2.3.3 Core Losses (Magnetic Parasitics)
    4. 2.4 Summary of Discrete Component EMI Considerations
    5. 2.5 Design Deficiencies
    6. 2.6 Sources Specific to MCUs
      1. 2.6.1 Clock Circuits and Oscillators
    7. 2.7 Other Common Sources
      1. 2.7.1 High-Speed Digital Buses
      2. 2.7.2 I/O Output Transitions
      3. 2.7.3 Floating Components
      4. 2.7.4 External Environmental Sources
  6. 3Mitigation Techniques to Minimize EMI and Optimize Board Performance
    1. 3.1 Power Supply Capacitor Selection and Placement
    2. 3.2 Capacitor Placement
    3. 3.3 Layer Stack-Up Optimization
      1. 3.3.1 Good Stack-Up Traits
      2. 3.3.2 Stitching and Shielding Optimization Techniques
    4. 3.4 Trace Routing
    5. 3.5 Passive Pi Filtering
    6. 3.6 Shielding, Grounding, and Cable Boundaries
    7. 3.7 Transient and ESD Current Paths
  7. 4EMC Verification and Troubleshooting
    1. 4.1 Emissions and Immunity as Port Problems
    2. 4.2 Pre-Compliance Measurement Toolkit
    3. 4.3 A Frequency-to-Structure Debug Method
    4. 4.4 Interpreting Common Spectral Signatures
    5. 4.5 Integrated Design Review Checklist
  8. 5Conclusion

3 Mitigation Techniques to Minimize EMI and Optimize Board Performance

Effective mitigation follows the current path. First reduce source energy, then contain the local loop, preserve the return path, filter at boundaries, and prevent large structures from carrying common-mode current. Shielding and ferrites are useful, but they cannot fully compensate for a source loop or return discontinuity that remains physically large.

One way to mitigate or greatly reduce the emissions that are a result of this digital signal ringing is to analyze the capacitors attached to the VDD line to see the impedance characteristics over frequency. The frequency here is the key word. Design deficiencies are typically easily resolvable and can be mitigated by understanding the potential sources of EMI of a design and implementing changes to reduce or remove emissions. In the following sections, we focus on some of the most common PCB design issues and mitigation techniques to optimize the design.