PCBA Metamaterial Ground Plane Arc Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) exposed to high-energy broadband electric fields experience premature arcing between closely-spaced dielectric surface switch contacts, leading to undesirable switching behavior and reduced operating life due to reduced arc resistance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an embedded metamaterial layer made of nickel doped with phosphorus or chromium into the ground plane of the PCBA, which increases capacitance and arc resistance by interacting with the electric and magnetic components of the incident field, thereby reducing arcing occurrences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dielectric surface switches are used in PCBAs exposed to high-energy broadband electric fields, then switching functionality is achieved, but arc resistance decreases leading to premature arcing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the ground plane by doping it with specific materials (metal powders such as nickel, copper, or aluminum with particle sizes of 0.5-5.0 micrometers, or metal oxides like zinc oxide or magnesium oxide at concentrations of 1-10% by weight). This modifies the electrical properties of the ground plane to increase arc resistance and prevent premature arcing between switch contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ground plane structure by combining conductive metal particles or metal oxide compounds with the base ground plane material. This composite approach enhances the arc resistance properties beyond what the base material alone could provide, directly addressing the premature arcing issue while maintaining switching functionality.
2Reliability
If the capacitance of the PCBA is increased to reduce arcing, then arc resistance improves, but the complexity of the circuit board increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the capacitance-enhancing function with the existing ground plane structure. Instead of adding separate capacitance components, the ground plane itself is modified through doping with conductive particles or metal oxides, allowing it to serve both as the reference potential plane and as the capacitance-storing element. This integration avoids increasing structural complexity while achieving the desired arc resistance improvement.
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 metamaterial layer effectively increases arc resistance and prevents premature arcing across dielectric surface switches, ensuring stable operation of the PCBA even under high-energy resonant broadband electric fields by safely steering accumulated energy back into the power supply.
Implementation Method 1
Tuning of the doping concentration (pre-selection of a specific doping percentage by weight) is intended to increase capacitance within the PCBA
Implementation Method 2
The metamaterial's frequency-specific behavior is that of reducing or eliminating instances of premature arcing between closely-spaced contacts of the dielectric surface switch
Data Source
AI summary
A PCBA for use in a high-energy broadband electric field includes a low-voltage power supply and alternating conductive and dielectric layers. An outermost one of the conductive layers includes a dielectric surface switch having closely-spaced switch contacts. The first switch contact is connected to the positive terminal and the second switch contact is connected to the negative terminal. Vias connect the conductive layers to the terminals through the respective first and second switch contacts to form power and ground planes. A metamaterial layer of nickel is doped with up to 20 percent phosphorus or chromium by weight, has a uniform thickness of less than 5 μm, is sandwiched between interfacing surfaces of a pair of the conductive and dielectric layers, and evenly coats one of the interfacing surfaces. A sonobuoy system includes the PCBA, e.g., an Electronic Function Select board, a cylindrical housing, and an acoustic array.