A footprint is a physical description of a component and is made up of padstacks,

obstacles, and text.

Padstack: A padstack is a physical representation of a component’s pin. In Figure
2-1 there are 15 round padstacks and one square. Typically the padstack for pin 1
of a footprint is different than the others. This makes it easier to align and orient
the part when soldering it to the circuit board.
Via: In its simplest terms, a via is a connection between one layer of a circuit
board and another. On a single-layer circuit board there isn’t a need for vias, as all
connections are done in copper on one layer. On a multi-layer circuit board, you
have to be able to connect a trace on one layer to a trace on another layer.
 Surface mount pads, Through-hole pads, and
Vias have a corresponding obstacle on the
solder mask layer.

Paste mask: If you are lucky enough to have your circuit boards
stuffed at an assembly house, you will need a paste mask.
Silkscreen: Silkscreen is a layer that everyone should be familiar with. This
layer describes where non-conductive ink is applied to the circuit board after
the solder mask. This layer is typically used to outline components, add
reference designators, add general text, instructions, etc.
*Once all the footprints are placed on the circuit board, you must make all the
connections. This is where the netlist comes in. The netlist can be used by the
layout tool in a few ways. It can be used to insure that the connections made
between components in the layout tool are the same connections made in the
schematic tool.

*Some layout tools include an automatic router that tries to make all the
connections for you. For complicated boards an automatic router can complete as
much as 95% to 100% of the connections.

*Automatic routing is a great thing to have, but there are a few points that must be
considered. You should always “hand route” all critical nets and clock nets first.

*A critical net is any net with very tight timing specifications, high speed, etc.
Once these routes are complete you should lock them in place so that the automatic
router can not move them.

*Some automatic routers actually push and shove traces around so that it can fit
new traces between them. This type of router is called a shove-aside router
*Like all art, circuit board placement and routing is best learned by lots of
practice. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes;

*Automatic placement is particularly troublesome. You should know how your

design functions, but your design software only knows how it is connected.

*There are many circuits which will work properly when placed
properly, and will not work at all when placed poorly. This is particularly true of
high speed digital boards, high-performance analog boards, and almost all radio-
frequency (RF) boards.

*Automatic routing is somewhat better developed than automatic placement.

Unfortunately, the routers that have been developed are mainly focused on
routing very large digital boards with a lot of connections. They usually will do a
poor job on any type of analog or RF board. In addition, most automatic routers
tend to generate a lot of vias. This can be a problem for the home hobbyist who
has to swage or solder each via individually.
Some useful Placement and Routing Strategies
* A good placement almost always lead to good routing, and thus to a good
board, but what makes a “good” placement? Well, a good placement is one that
leads to a good routing. Of course, this is circular logic, but it’s true anyway!

* One rule of thumb is to place components close to each other while trying to
keep the routing process in mind.
If your PCB design software supports ratsnests (or guides) to show where the
connections will be, use them. They clearly show how the board will be routed
as you are placing the components. As you place components, turn and flip each
one around to make the guide lines as straight and as short as possible.

*Another rule of thumb is to place components on the circuit board just like
they are drawn on the schematic. That means that components that are directly
connected to each other will be placed closely together. It is usually easiest to
place the big components first (like microcontrollers, op amps, etc.) and then
place all of the little ones that connect to them (resistors, capacitors, etc.) around
them.
* It is almost always best to completely place all components on the circuit
board before beginning any routing. If your PCB design software has placement
design checks, run them after the board is placed. This will inform you of
violations such as components placed too close to each other (or on top of each
other!), or components placed too close to the edge of the circuit board.

* Finally, try to leave at least 30 mils between components, and 50 mils between
a component and the edge of the circuit board. It is possible to place
components closer together, but this becomes an issue when you try to assemble
the board. If the components are too close, the solder may flow from pad to pad
and generate short circuits.
Table 2-1 lists the resistivity of a copper
conductor at various temperatures and
the third column lists its resistance per
unit of a 5-mil inner layer trace using
0.5-oz foil.
The IPC-D-275 standard has charts that show the relationship of the current
carrying capacity at various temperature rises with respect to the cross-
sectional areas.