Enlarged Signal Trace on Reference Plane Reduces Insertion Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transmission of electrical signals in circuit boards results in energy loss, particularly at higher frequencies, limiting the length of signal traces and requiring the use of re-drivers and repeaters that increase complexity and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of enlarged signal traces on circuit boards, where selected signal traces are widened and thickened within a reference plane, such as a ground or power plane, to reduce insertion loss and avoid the need for repeaters, while maintaining existing configurations for shorter traces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If signal traces are made longer to extend transmission distance, then transmission distance is improved, but energy loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the signal trace by increasing its width and thickness (cross-sectional area). This parameter modification reduces the trace's electrical resistance, thereby reducing energy loss during signal transmission over extended distances without requiring active signal boosting components.
2Length of stationary object
If repeaters and re-drivers are added to extend signal transmission, then transmission distance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for repeaters and re-drivers from the circuit design. By modifying the passive signal trace geometry (making it wider and thicker), the system achieves extended transmission distance without these active components, thereby reducing circuit complexity and removing unnecessary elements from the signal path.
3Length of stationary object
If repeaters and re-drivers are added to extend signal transmission, then transmission distance is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes repeaters and re-drivers from the system, eliminating their power consumption requirements. The extended signal transmission is achieved passively through geometric modifications to the signal trace itself, which consumes no additional power beyond what is already required for signal generation.
4Loss of energy
If signal trace width is increased to reduce energy loss, then energy loss is reduced, but area occupied increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the area constraint by extending the signal trace into the vertical dimension (thickness) in addition to increasing width. This multi-dimensional approach allows the trace to achieve lower resistance and reduced energy loss without proportionally increasing the horizontal footprint on the circuit board, as the cross-sectional area is increased through thickness as well as width.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for routing signal traces in a circuit board are described. An example of an electronic device in accordance with the described techniques includes a circuit board comprising a plurality of conductive layers. The conductive layers include a signal layer and a reference plane. The signal layer includes signal traces and the reference plane includes an additional signal trace.