Lossy power distribution networks with thin dielectric layers and/or thin conductive layers

Abstract

Through their inherent skin losses, conductive planes around sufficiently thin dielectric layers may provide good suppression of plane resonances in printed-circuit-board power distribution networks. When combined with thin conductive layers, a resistor-like flat self-impedance and low-pass transfer-impedance profiles can be created. A lossy transmission-line grid model is used to simulate power-ground plane pairs with thin dielectric and thin conductive layers. Some of the modeling errors of the analytical plane-impedance expressions and lossy transmission-line grid plane models are compared. Simulated and measured impedances are compared on test structures with plane separation of 40 and 8 /spl mu/m (1.6 and 0.3 mils).