Dielectric Waveguide Interconnect for High-Speed Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional copper wire line interconnects experience significant attenuation at high frequencies due to the skin effect, limiting system performance and requiring costly compensations as data rate or transmit distance increases, which is not effectively addressed by existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A board-to-board interconnection device using a dielectric waveguide with metal cladding, which includes a microstrip-to-waveguide transition and a board-to-fiber connector to minimize reflection and maintain transceiver power, enabling high-speed data transfer with reduced channel loss and interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional copper wire line interconnects are used for high-speed data transfer, then the data rate can be increased, but the signal attenuation increases exponentially due to skin effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional copper wire line interconnects with a dielectric waveguide system that uses electromagnetic wave propagation instead of conductive signal transmission. This substitution eliminates the skin effect that causes exponential attenuation in copper wires at high frequencies, enabling high-speed data transfer with minimal signal loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a composite structure consisting of a dielectric core surrounded by a metallic cladding layer. This composite material approach combines the low-loss propagation characteristics of dielectrics with the shielding benefits of metal cladding, achieving both low attenuation and interference rejection simultaneously.
2Reliability
If copper wire line interconnects are used to compensate for high-frequency attenuation, then receiver power penalty and cost increase exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing copper wire interconnects with a dielectric waveguide system, the patent eliminates the need for high receiver power compensation. The waveguide's inherent low-loss propagation characteristics maintain signal quality without requiring exponential increases in receiver power as data rate increases.
3Loss of energy
If dielectric waveguide is used for signal transmission, then channel loss is reduced, but reflection at transitions may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates impedance matching structures at the transition points between microstrip lines and the dielectric waveguide. These preliminary design features are built into the transition structure to minimize reflection before signal transmission begins, ensuring smooth impedance transformation and reducing harmful reflections that would otherwise occur at the interface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves high-speed data transfer with minimal additional receiver-side compensation, maintaining transceiver power and reducing channel loss, while allowing for parallel channel data transfer and efficient area usage, effectively addressing the limitations of copper wire line interconnects.
Implementation Method 1
A board-to-board interconnection device using a dielectric waveguide with metal cladding, which includes a microstrip-to-waveguide transition and a board-to-fiber connector to minimize reflection and maintain transceiver power
Implementation Method 2
A board-to-board interconnection device using a dielectric waveguide with metal cladding, which includes a microstrip-to-waveguide transition and a board-to-fiber connector to minimize reflection and maintain transceiver power
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~3b
Figure 3c~4c
AI summary
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an improved dielectric waveguide named electrical fiber. The electrical fiber with a metal cladding may isolate the interference of the signals in other wireless channels and adjacent electrical fibers, which typically causes band-limitation problem, for a smaller radiation loss and better signal guiding to lower the total transceiver power consumption as the transmit distance increases. Also, the electrical fiber may have frequency independent attenuation characteristics to enable high data rate transfer with little or even without any additional receiver-side compensation due to vertical coupling of the electrical fiber and an interconnection device.