Mitigating power distribution network (PDN) noise is one of the main efforts for power integrity (PI) design in high-speed or mixed-signal circuits. Possible solutions, which are based on decoupling or isolation concept, for suppressing PDN noise on package or printed circuit board (PCB) levels are reviewed in this paper. Keeping the PDN impedance very low in a wide frequency range, except at dc, by employing a shunt capacitors, which can be in-chip, package, or PCB levels, is the first priority way for PI design. The decoupling techniques including the planes structure, surface-mounted technology decoupling capacitors, and embedded capacitors will be discussed. The isolation approach that keeps part of the PDN at high impedance is another way to reduce the PDN noise propagation. Besides the typical isolation approaches such as the etched slots and filter, the new isolation concept using electromagnetic bandgap structures will also be discussed.

Overview of Power Integrity Solutions on Package and PCB: Decoupling and EBG Isolation

In this paper, perfect magnetic conductor (PMC)-based packaging technique was used to improve the isolation performance among various microwave circuit components such as high-gain amplifier chains. In this approach, a periodic structure (such as metal pin rows) together with the ground plane of the substrate created a stopband for unwanted parallel plate or cavity modes as well as substrate modes, and thereby suppressed the problems of circuit resonances and related package phenomena. This paper describes two Ka-band amplifier chains that were tested with this new packaging technique. Firstly, a single amplifier chain was tested for maximum stable gain operation, and it was found that the stable gain of was achieved, whereas traditional metal wall package with RF absorber offered stable gain of 40 dB, thus showing significant isolation improvement. Secondly, two high-gain amplifier chains were placed side by side and their mutual isolation was tested. With the proposed gap waveguide packaging, a minimum isolation of 78 dB was achieved, whereas a complete metal shield provided a minimum isolation of only 64 dB over the band of interest.

https://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/193539/local_193539.pdf

Gap Waveguide PMC Packaging for Improved Isolation of Circuit Components in High-Frequency Microwave Modules

A comprehensive review of printed circuit board (PCB) electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues, analysis techniques, and possible solutions would fill a large book or more. This review takes a quick look at where the technology of PCB EMC control has been, where it is today, and where it needs to go for the future. As data rates on PCBs have increased, new problems have arisen, requiring new analysis techniques and new solutions. Further development will be needed to keep up with the ever-increasing data rates and smaller form factors.

Review of Printed-Circuit-Board Level EMI/EMC Issues and Tools

A novel design of power/ground plane with planar electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures for suppressing simultaneous switching noise (SSN) is presented. The novel design is based on using meander lines to increase the effective inductance of EBG patches. A super cell EBG structure, comprising two different topologies on the same board, is proposed to extend the lower edge of the band. Both novel designs proposed here are validated experimentally. A -28dB suppression bandwidth starting at 250MHz and extending to 12GHz and beyond is achieved

Ultra-Wideband Mitigation of Simultaneous Switching Noise Using Novel Planar Electromagnetic Bandgap Structures

A unified 1D analysis model of hybrid planar-type electromagnetic-bandgap (EBG) structures is developed. Based on the analysis results, three types of hybrid design methods to reduce the cutoff frequency of the EBG structures are discussed, and design equations for their noise suppression bandwidths are derived. In order to simulate switching noise characteristics of the hybrid planar-type EBG structures, 2D circuit level models are developed and experimentally verified. With the developed circuit-level models and CMOS active switching devices, feasibility studies on the power distribution network design using the hybrid EBG structures are conducted. The hybrid EBG structure with series lumped chip inductors shows efficient noise suppression characteristics in both the frequency and time domains; however, it has potential limitations because of its generation of higher switching noise voltages depending on power supply connection configurations.

Analysis and Modeling of Hybrid Planar-Type Electromagnetic-Bandgap Structures and Feasibility Study on Power Distribution Network Applications

A power/ground planes design for efficiently eliminating the ground bounce noise (GBN) in high-speed digital circuits is proposed by using low-period coplanar electromagnetic bandgap (LPC-EBG) structure. Keeping solid for the ground plane and designing an LPC-EBG pattern on the power plane, the proposed structure omnidirectionally behaves highly efficiently in suppression of GBN (over 50 dB) within the broad-band frequency range (over 4 GHz). In addition, the proposed designs suppress radiated emission (or electromagnetic interference) caused by the GBN within the stopband. These extinctive behaviors of low radiation and broad-band suppression of the GBN is demonstrated numerically and experimentally. Good agreements are seen. The impact of the LPC-EBG power plane on the signal integrity for the signals referring to the power plane is investigated. Two possible solutions, differential signals and an embedded LPC-EBG power plane concept, are suggested and discussed to reduce the impact.

Electromagnetic bandgap power/ground planes for wideband suppression of ground bounce noise and radiated emission in high-speed circuits

A novel L-bridged electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) power/ground planes is proposed with super-wideband suppression of the ground bounce noise (GBN) from 600Mz to 4.6GHz. The L-shaped bridge design on the EBG power plane not only broadens the stopband bandwidth, but also can increase the mutual coupling between the adjacent EBG cells by significantly decreasing the gap between the cells. It is found the small gap design can prevent from the severe degradation of the signal quality for the high-speed signal referring to the perforated EBG power plane. The excellent GBN suppression performance with keeping reasonably good signal integrity for the proposed structure is validated both experimentally and numerically. Good agreement is seen.

A novel power plane with super-wideband elimination of ground bounce noise on high speed circuits

Developing full-wave simulators for high-frequency circuit simulation is a topic many researchers have investigated. Generally speaking, methods invoking analytic pre-processing of the device's V-I relations (admittance or impedance) are computationally more efficient than methods employing a numerical procedure to iteratively process the device at each time step. For circuits providing complex functionality, two-port or possibly multiport devices whether passive or active, are sure to appear in the circuits. Therefore, extensions to currently available full-wave methods for handling one-port devices to process multiport devices would be useful for hybrid microwave circuit designs. In this paper, an efficient scheme for processing arbitrary multiport devices in the FDTD method is proposed. The device's admittance is analytically pre-processed and fitted into one grid cell. With an improved time-stepping expression, the computation efficiency is further increased. Multiport devices in the circuit can be systematically incorporated and analyzed in a full-wave manner. The accuracy of the proposed method is verified by comparison with results from the equivalent current-source method and is numerically stable

An Efficient Scheme for Processing Arbitrary Lumped Multiport Devices in the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method

A novel L-bridged frequency selective surface (FSS) power/ground planes is proposed with super-broadband rejection for simultaneous switch noise (SSN) from 600 Mz to 4.6 GHz. The L-shaped bridge design on the FSS power plane not only broadens the stop-band bandwidth, but also increases the mutual coupling between the adjacent FSS cells with allowing the significant decrease of the gap between the cells. It is found the small gap design can ease the degradation of the signal quality for the signal referring to the perforated FSS power plane. The excellent SSN suppression performance with keeping reasonably good signal integrity for the proposed structure is validated both experimentally and numerically. Good agreement is seen.

A new frequency selective surface power plane with broad band rejection for simultaneous switching noise on high-speed printed circuit boards

Radio-frequency interference (RFI) issue becomes more and more significant in recent high-speed and small-form-factor electronic systems. Especially when their RF antennas cannot put away from digital input/output (I/O) interfaces, the coupling noise could highly degrade the antenna and system performance. In this problem, the amount of differential-mode noise is usually much larger than the common-mode one. For reducing the differential-mode noise, two useful mitigation strategies are suggested. These strategies are also workable for reducing the common-mode noise. For demonstration, a specific scenario of Wi-Fi dongle and its interface is defined and studied. Good mitigation results are indeed obtained for both common-and differential-mode cases by these strategies.

Chien-Chung Wang

Papers

Electromagnetic bandgap power/ground planes for wideband suppression of ground bounce noise and radiated emission in high-speed circuits

A novel power plane with super-wideband elimination of ground bounce noise on high speed circuits

An Efficient Scheme for Processing Arbitrary Lumped Multiport Devices in the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method

A new frequency selective surface power plane with broad band rejection for simultaneous switching noise on high-speed printed circuit boards

Radio-frequency interference mitigation strategies for high-speed connectors