This paper reviews the fundamentals and latest progress of modeling, analysis, and design technologies for signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility on PCB and package in the past decades. Most results in this field are based on the very rich and highly educational literature produced by Prof. C. Paul in his long scientific career. The inclusion of parameters variability effects is also considered, and it is demonstrated how statistical simulations can become affordable by means of recently-introduced stochastic methods. Finally, the necessity of practical training of designers is mentioned, and an experience relying on realistic PCB demonstrators is illustrated.

Overview of Signal Integrity and EMC Design Technologies on PCB: Fundamentals and Latest Progress

The symmetric spoof surface plasmon (SSP)-based slow-wave transmission line (SW-TL) with compact transition, low ohmic loss, and low crosstalk between SW-TLs is proposed and investigated. First, the SSP cells are modeled by equivalent circuit elements. The proposed equivalent circuit model is appealing for the integration of SW-TLs with other microwave circuits. With the symmetricity, the SW-TLs are readily realized by a compact mode converter providing gradual impedance, momentum, and polarization matching from guided waves to spoof microwave plasmons. Then, simulation studies and experiments verify that the proposed SSP SW-TL features as low as half the ohmic loss of the traditional counterparts. After that, the low mutual coupling between the proposed SSP SW-TLs is numerically and experimentally substantiated and showed to be up to 10 dB lower than that between conventional microstrip TLs. The proposed low loss, highly isolated and compact SW-TL along with the reliable circuit model enables the further exploitation of promising spoof plasmon modes in microwave technology.

Low-Loss Spoof Surface Plasmon Slow-Wave Transmission Lines With Compact Transition and High Isolation

The invention is a low-cost, compact radar for adaptively forming beams and independently steering the beams to improve the noise and sensitivity of the radar. The radar includes a printed circuit board, a low-cost multi-layer organic substrate, and a three dimensional (3D) radio frequency (RF) front end that is flood mounted on the substrate.

Three dimensional integrated automotive radars and methods of manufacturing the same

The radar includes a PCB having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a processor mounted on the bottom surface of the PCB. The radar includes a second liquid crystal polymer layer formed on the top surface of the printed circuit board, a second microstrip array printed on the second liquid crystal polymer layer, the second microstrip array having a patch, a first liquid crystal polymer layer formed on the second liquid crystal polymer layer, a first microstrip array printed on the first liquid crystal polymer layer, the first microstrip array having a perforated patch, an antenna positioned underneath the patch and connected to the second microstrip array, and a transmit/receive module connected to a bottom surface of the second liquid crystal polymer layer and configured to transmit a first frequency signal to the first microstrip array and a second frequency signal to the second microstrip array.

Dual-band antenna array and rf front-end for mm-wave imager and radar

This paper presents a close but a beginner's perspective and a comprehensive review of microstrip filters with defected ground structure (DGS). The concept of DGS is inspired by photonic/electromagnetic bandgap structures (EBG/PBG) and metamaterials that are employed in microwave components to achieve a variety of performance enhancement features. Modeling of DGS and metamaterials as an L-C equivalent lumped circuit is much simpler in comparison with complex EBGs/PBGs. In this review, we have given a detailed account of the microstrip filters using DGS.

Microstrip filter with defected ground structure: a close perspective

High-frequency transmission lines crosstalk reduction using spacing rules is treated in this paper. Two of the most popular planar transmission line configurations, namely microstrip and stripline, commonly used in printed circuit boards and radio frequency/microwave integrated circuits, are considered in this work. The trace separation between two adjacent transmission lines of each type is stepwise increased as function of the trace width. The single-ended transmission line structures are numerically investigated by a frequency-based 3-D full-wave electromagnetic analysis tool. A particular case using coated microstrip transmission lines has been fabricated, along with some calibration structures, to allow direct measurement and experimental analysis of crosstalk between the single-ended transmission lines. The test structures are characterized at high-frequency (up to 20 GHz) with scattering parameters using a vector network analyzer. The experimental results are compared with the simulation data, and some conclusions and suggestions on the impact and use of spacing rules for high-frequency crosstalk reduction between single-ended transmission lines are presented. These investigations emphasize the necessity of reevaluating classical design rules for their suitability in high-frequency applications.

High-Frequency Transmission Lines Crosstalk Reduction Using Spacing Rules

In this paper, the problem of using guard traces for reducing crosstalk between differential transmission line pairs is investigated, both experimentally and by full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations. Different cases of differential lines crosstalk are treated with and without guard trace separation between the differential line pairs. Coated microstrip printed circuit board test structures including thru-reflect-line calibration standards are designed and fabricated on a high frequency laminate material, allowing direct measurement of crosstalk between adjacent differential line pairs in the absence and in the presence of guard traces stitched with vias of regular spacing. The test structures are characterized with mixed-mode scattering parameters using a physical layer test system. Different configurations (of differential line pairs) without guard trace, with floating guard traces (which are terminated and nonterminated) and with a solid guard trace separation are investigated using a High Frequency Structure Simulator (a commercial full-wave 3-D EM simulation tool). The experimental data are compared with the simulation results, and some conclusions and guidelines on the effect of guard traces for alleviating crosstalk between differential transmission lines are presented

On The Problem of Using Guard Traces for High Frequency Differential Lines Crosstalk Reduction

Novel microwave and millimeterwave (mm-wave) bandstop filters using artificial periodic substrate electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) are investigated in this paper. Three types of microstrip structures using periodically modified trace width, patterned dielectric substrate, and periodically modified ground plane are treated, respectively. By periodically modifying either the width of the conductor trace, the substrate height, or the dielectric constant of a standard microstrip transmission line, it has been possible to design microwave bandstop filter functions with wide stopband characteristics and reduced size, compared to conventional microwave/RF filter structures. Commercial electronic design automation (EDA) and computational electromagnetic tools such as Agilent's advanced design system (ADS) and CST Microwave Studio are used in the design and simulations of these filter structures. The effects of the physical parameters of the structures on the filter characteristic are studied. The design procedure and simulation results are described and possible applications of these filter structures are discussed in this paper. A particularly wide stopband is achieved by the circuits presented in this paper, which use only a few cell elements. A significant performance improvement of microstrip patch antenna has been observed by implementing one of the presented EBG periodic substrate structures.

F.D. Mbairi

Papers

High-Frequency Transmission Lines Crosstalk Reduction Using Spacing Rules

On The Problem of Using Guard Traces for High Frequency Differential Lines Crosstalk Reduction

Microwave Bandstop Filters Using Novel Artificial Periodic Substrate Electromagnetic Band Gap Structures