gerberRead

R2026b

Create PCBReader object with specified Gerber and drill files

Syntax

P = gerberRead(T)

P = gerberRead([],B)

P = gerberRead(T,B)

P = gerberRead(T,B,D)

P = gerberRead({M1,...,MN})

P = gerberRead({M1,...,MN},{D1,[fromLayer1,toLayer1];...;DN,[fromLayerN,toLayerN]})

Description

P = gerberRead(T) creates a PCBReader object with the top layer Gerber file specified in T.

Note

The PCBReader object reads RS-274X Gerber files. It does not support RS-274D Gerber files.

P = gerberRead([],B) creates a PCBReader object with the bottom layer Gerber file specified in B.

P = gerberRead(T,B) creates a PCBReader object with the specified top and bottom layer Gerber files.

P = gerberRead(T,B,D) creates a PCBReader object with the specified top and bottom layer Gerber files and the drill file specified in D.

P = gerberRead({M1,...,MN}) creates a PCBReader object with N metal layers. Each M value specifies a Gerber file for a metal layer with layers ordered based on their position in the cell array.

P = gerberRead({M1,...,MN},{D1,[fromLayer1,toLayer1];...;DN,[fromLayerN,toLayerN]}) creates a PCBReader object with metal layers and drill files. Each D value specifies a drill file (.drl or.txt). [fromLayer, toLayer] defines the connection between the layers. This syntax supports specifying connections between multiple vias and layers.

Examples

Import and View Top Layer Gerber File

Use the gerberRead function to import a top layer Gerber file.

P = gerberRead("antenna_design_file.gtl");

Extract the metal layer from the file using the shapes function.

s = shapes(P);

View the top metal layer.

show(s)

Create PCBReader Object with Bottom Layer Gerber File

Import a bottom layer Gerber file to layer 4 of the stack.

P = gerberRead([],"UWBVivaldi.gbl");
P.StackUp

ans = 
  stackUp with properties:

    NumMetalLayers: 2
         NumLayers: 5
            Layer1: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer2: []
            Layer3: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer4: "UWBVivaldi.gbl"
            Layer5: [1×1 dielectric]

Create Antenna Model Using Top and Bottom Layer Gerber Files

Use the gerberRead function to import top and bottom layer Gerber files.

P = gerberRead("antenna_design_file.gtl","antenna_design_file.gbl");

Display the stack.

P.StackUp

ans = 
  stackUp with properties:

    NumMetalLayers: 2
         NumLayers: 5
            Layer1: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer2: "antenna_design_file.gtl"
            Layer3: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer4: "antenna_design_file.gbl"
            Layer5: [1×1 dielectric]

Modify the third layer in the stack, which is the dielectric layer between the top and bottom metal layers.

S = P.StackUp;
S.Layer3 = dielectric(Name="FR4", EpsilonR=4.4, Thickness=0.8e-3);
P.StackUp = S;

Create the antenna model by calling the pcbStack object on the PCB reader.

pb2 = pcbStack(P);
figure
show(pb2)

Import Gerber Files and Visualize Multilayer PCB

Import the design of a multilayer PCB antenna using Gerber and drill files.

g = gerberRead({'TopLayer.gtl','InnerCopperLayer.g2l','BottomLayer.gbl'},{'drillFile.txt',[2,3]})

g = 
  PCBReader with properties:

              StackUp: [1×1 stackUp]
            DrillFile: {'drillFile.txt'}
      DrillLayerPairs: [2 6]
    NumPointsOnCurves: 50

View the information related to each layer.

g.StackUp

ans = 
  stackUp with properties:

    NumMetalLayers: 3
         NumLayers: 7
            Layer1: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer2: 'TopLayer.gtl'
            Layer3: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer4: 'InnerCopperLayer.g2l'
            Layer5: [1×1 dielectric]
            Layer6: 'BottomLayer.gbl'
            Layer7: [1×1 dielectric]

Create an antenna from imported Gerber files using the pcbStack object.

p = pcbStack(g)

p = 
  pcbStack with properties:

              Name: 'TopLayer'
          Revision: 'v1.0'
        BoardShape: [1×1 antenna.Rectangle]
    BoardThickness: 0.0121
            Layers: {[1×1 dielectric]  [1×1 antenna.Polygon]  [1×1 dielectric]  [1×1 antenna.Polygon]  [1×1 dielectric]  [1×1 antenna.Polygon]  [1×1 dielectric]}
        FeedFormat: 'FeedLocations'
     FeedLocations: [0 0 2]
      FeedDiameter: 0.0100
      ViaLocations: [-0.0060 0.0071 2 6]
       ViaDiameter: 1.0000e-03
      FeedViaModel: 'square'
       FeedVoltage: 1
         FeedPhase: 0
         Conductor: [1×1 metal]
              Tilt: 0
          TiltAxis: [1 0 0]
              Load: [1×1 lumpedElement]
        SolverType: 'MoM'

Change the feed diameter, set the feed location, and visualize the PCB antenna.

p.FeedDiameter = 0.5e-3;
p.FeedLocations = [-5e-3 5e-3 2]

p = 
  pcbStack with properties:

              Name: 'TopLayer'
          Revision: 'v1.0'
        BoardShape: [1×1 antenna.Rectangle]
    BoardThickness: 0.0121
            Layers: {[1×1 dielectric]  [1×1 antenna.Polygon]  [1×1 dielectric]  [1×1 antenna.Polygon]  [1×1 dielectric]  [1×1 antenna.Polygon]  [1×1 dielectric]}
        FeedFormat: 'FeedLocations'
     FeedLocations: [-0.0050 0.0050 2]
      FeedDiameter: 5.0000e-04
      ViaLocations: [-0.0060 0.0071 2 6]
       ViaDiameter: 1.0000e-03
      FeedViaModel: 'square'
       FeedVoltage: 1
         FeedPhase: 0
         Conductor: [1×1 metal]
              Tilt: 0
          TiltAxis: [1 0 0]
              Load: [1×1 lumpedElement]
        SolverType: 'MoM'

figure
show(p)
title("PCB Antenna")

Create PCB Antenna with Stacked Dielectric

Read Gerber files and create a PCB design object. Extract and modify the stack-up by assigning a TMM4 dielectric, then update the PCB design.

g = gerberRead({"TopLayer.gtl","BottomLayer.gbl"});
s = g.StackUp;
s.Layer5 = dielectric('TMM4');
g.StackUp = s;

Convert the design to a PCB antenna using the pcbStack object.

p = pcbStack(g);

Visualize the PCB antenna.

figure
show(p)
title("Stacked Dielectric PCB Antenna")

Input Arguments

T — Top layer Gerber file

character vector | string scalar

Top layer Gerber file, specified as a character vector or string scalar. The file must be saved with a .gtl extension.

Example: gerberRead("Filetop.gtl");

B — Bottom layer Gerber file

character vector | string scalar

Bottom layer Gerber file, specified as a character vector or string scalar. The file must be saved with a .gbl extension.

Example: gerberRead([],"FileBottom.gbl");

D — Drill file

character vector | string scalar

Drill file, specified as a character vector or string scalar. You can specify either a DRL or a TXT file.

Example: gerberRead("Filetop.gtl","FileBottom.gbl","FileDrill.txt");

{M1,...,MN} — Gerber files for metal layers

cell array of strings

Gerber files for metal layers, specified as a cell array.

Example: {"Layer1.gbr","Layer2.gbr","Layer3.gbr"}

Data Types: cell

{D1,[fromLayer1,toLayer1];...;DN,[fromLayerN,toLayerN]} — Drill files and associated connections between layers

cell array of string and 2-element vector pair

Drill files and associated connections between layers, specified as a cell array. Each [fromLayer,toLayer] pair specifies the metal layers the drill connects, using metal-layer indices.

Example: {"through_hole.drl",[1,6];...;"blind_via.drl",[2,3]}

Data Types: cell

Output Arguments

P — Read files

PCBReader object

Read Gerber and drill files, returned as a PCBReader object.

Limitations

Limitations of the gerberRead function while reading a .gtl or .gbl file are:

Command	Description	Comments
TF	File Attributes	Command is ignored and no error is thrown
TA	Aperture Attributes	Command is ignored and no error is thrown
TO	Object Attributes	Command is ignored and no error is thrown
TD	Delete Attributes	Command is ignored and no error is thrown

Cut-ins are not supported.

Version History

Introduced in R2020b

R2026b: Import multiple Gerber and drill files for multilayer PCB layouts

You can now import multilayer PCB designs containing more than two metal layers using Gerber files. You can also import multiple drill files and specify the electrical connections between metal layers.