Experimental Validations of a Simple PCB Interconnect Model for High-Rate Signal Integrity

Abstract

This paper is devoted to investigating experimental validations of a simple modeling method of PCB interconnects for high-speed signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility applications. Based on the theoretical approach using the extraction method of the interconnect per-unit-length RLCG parameters, the reduced models of the corresponding transfer function, -parameters, and access and transfer impedances are also established. The methodology describing the different steps of the technique proposed for practical use cases in ultra wideband is established. To verify the effectiveness of the concept under consideration, time-domain validations from the frequency-measured data are realized by using printed circuit board microstrip interconnect lines with micrometers width and millimeters long. Therefore, the model was first validated experimentally, and with electromagnetic simulations, in frequency domain via comparison of -parameters and -matrix from dc to some gigahertz. It was found that relative errors lower than 1 dB were evaluated between the insertion loss of the models, simulations, and measurements. Then, by injecting noisy digital- and mixed-signals with 1 Gigasymbol/s, relative errors of lower than 1% were evaluated by considering the time-domain responses. Compared to the existing interconnect modeling tools, the developed one presents a high accuracy, simplicity, and very less computation time.