Novel Technology for Power and Signal Integrity Using a Metal Particle Conductive Layer

Recently, power integrity (PI) has been the most important technological issue in the field of electronic circuits and systems and has been addressed in important papers using several different approaches [1][2]. The latest concept of the best PI condition is a low impedance between the power and ground lines or planes that can be maintained regardless of the clock frequency, even in the GHz region. This concept was mentioned in a relatively old book [3] from the 1980s, so it is not the newest idea. However, this condition cannot be completely realized using several of the previously proposed approaches, including many involving the use of low-inductance capacitances. We are aware that the electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems of plane power/ground resonance are induced because of the resonance caused by eddy currents or multiple reflections of voltage fluctuations. A novel technology was used in our previous study in which a conductive layer of dispersed metal particles was used instead of a copper plane [4][5]. This structure improved the PI for any clock frequency, particularly in the GHz region, with an impedance of less than 1 Omega. In this study, we examine the electromagnetic wave transmission data in order to investigate the different physical phenomena, and we present some fundamental data on PI and signal integrity (SI). The results indicate that the use of a transmission line with a metal particle conductive layer can yield various changes in the electromagnetic wave transmission speed, such as an increase of 76% or a decrease of 21%. The Z11 values of the power/GND plane test coupon were from 1.8 to 3.0 Omega in the frequency region from 5 to 20 GHz. These results suggest that the metal particle conductive layer has useful characteristics for improving the PI and SI.