A stackup that interacts with every high-speed signal on a PCB can be considered as the foundation for the entire board. Getting this foundation correct from the beginning of the PCB design phase is crucial for ensuring overall constraints like impedance and loss, board thickness, trace widths, and power distribution are met throughout the design process.

Z-planner Enterprise is a field-solver based PCB stackup planning and materials selection software that allows for complete control over the design and fabrication of a stackup. Including an accurate field solver, a loss-planning environment, and a complete dielectric materials library, Z-planner Enterprise seamlessly interfaces with the most popular signal-integrity software and facilitates communication with all your fabrication houses. Increasing edge rates make performing accurate loss and impedance calculations using actual dielectric materials data imperative to getting the stackup right the first time.

Modeling the stackup as it will be built avoids delays and surprises found after a design is released to fabrication, and early material selection allows fabricators ample time to ensure specialty materials are in stock, while ensuring that prototype and production PCBs are constructed the same.