Patent Application
20130021739
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, multi-layer printed circuit boards with power plane islands and methods and computer program products for manufacturing a multi-layer printed circuit board with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling.
2. Description Of Related Art
With increasing speed and decreasing supply voltages in today's high-speed systems, the design of power distribution networks (PDNs) becomes an increasingly difficult challenge for modern technologies. A PDN is designed to provide a stable and uniform voltage for one or more devices and should not cause noise coupling between sensitive high-speed devices. However, for high-speed systems, power plane and ground plane pairs in the PDN form resonators. As a result, when the power/ground plane resonances are excited, the power/ground noise can be significantly large. The noise can produce false switching in digital circuits and malfunctioning in analog circuits.
Multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCB) with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling are provided. In addition, methods and computer program products for manufacturing multi-layer PCBs with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling are provided. Embodiments include a PCB comprising a first power plane coupled to a power supply, the first power plane within a layer of the PCB; a second power plane and a third power plane, the second power plane and the third power plane within another layer of the PCB, the second power plane and the third power plane separated from each other within the other layer of the PCB; and a via bridge structure connecting the first power plane to both the second power plane and the third power plane.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts of exemplary embodiments of the invention.
Examples of multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs) with power plane islands and methods and computer program products for manufacturing a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling in accordance with the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, beginning with
A PCB is used to mechanically support and electronically connect electrical components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from conductive sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. A layer of a PCB provides one or more conductive pathways and insulation from other conductive pathways in other layers of the PCB. A conductive pathway within a layer may be used as a ground plane or a power plane. A ground plane may be configured as a ground potential to help reduce noise and provide a return path for signals transmitted over a power plane. A power plane may be configured to act as a counterpart to a ground plane by providing DC voltage from a power supply to circuits mounted on a PCB. When a power plane within a layer of a PCB is separated and formed into two distinct power planes, the separate power planes may each be called a ‘power plane island.’ Because each of the power plane islands is separated from the other, noise coupling from one integrated circuit chip coupled to one power plane island is blocked from transmitting to another integrated circuit chip coupled to another power plane island.
In the example of
The PCB (100) of
The PCB (100) of
In the example of
To illustrate the problem associated with noise coupling transmission between chips sharing a power plane,
In the example of
In the example of
To manufacture a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) with power plane islands, a computer that includes computer program instructions for manufacturing PCB is used. For further explanation, therefore,
Stored in RAM (468) is a multi-layer PCB manufacture module (430) that includes computer program instructions for manufacturing a multi-layer PCB with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling according to embodiments of the present invention. As part of the manufacturing of a PCB, the manufacture module (430) may act as a design computer that controls the design of a PCB. That is, the manufacture module (430) may manufacture a PCB with power plane islands by controlling PCB design information. PCB design information may include physical positioning information of a packaged semiconductor device of a PCB. The manufacture module (430) may be configured to transform the PCB design information to generate a data file, such as a GERBER file with data that includes new physical positioning information of the PCB, as well as layout of electrical connections such as traces and vias. That is, the manufacture module (430) may be configured to generate a PCB design to create the multi-layer PCB (100) of
In addition, the manufacture module (430) may also be configured to assemble a PCB as part of the manufacture process. That is, the manufacture module (430) may use a GERBER file to create PCBs manufactured in accordance with the design information stored in the GERBER file. For example, the manufacture module (430) may use the GERBER file to perform various steps of a PCB production process to create the PCB (100) of
Specifically, the multi-layer PCB manufacture module (430) includes computer program instructions that when executed by the processor (456) cause the processor (456) to provide a first power plane within a layer of the PCB; provide a second power plane and a third power plane within another layer of the PCB, the second power plane and the third power plane separated from each other within the other layer of the PCB; and provide a via bridge structure connecting the first power plane to both the second power plane and the third power plane.
Also stored in RAM (468) is an operating system (454). Operating systems useful in manufacturing a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling according to embodiments of the present invention include UNIX™, Linux™, Microsoft XP™, AIX™, IBM's i5/OS™ and others as will occur to those of skill in the art. The operating system (454) and the multi-layer PCB manufacture module (430) in the example of
The computer (452) of
The example computer (452) of
The exemplary computer (452) of
For further explanation,
The method of
The method of
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Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described largely in the context of a fully functional computer system for a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) with power plane islands to isolate noise coupling. Readers of skill in the art will recognize, however, that the present invention also may be embodied in a computer program product disposed upon computer readable storage media for use with any suitable data processing system. Such computer readable storage media may be any storage medium for machine-readable information, including magnetic media, optical media, or other suitable media. Examples of such media include magnetic disks in hard drives or diskettes, compact disks for optical drives, magnetic tape, and others as will occur to those of skill in the art. Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any computer system having suitable programming means will be capable of executing the steps of the method of the invention as embodied in a computer program product. Persons skilled in the art will recognize also that, although some of the exemplary embodiments described in this specification are oriented to software installed and executing on computer hardware, nevertheless, alternative embodiments implemented as firmware or as hardware are well within the scope of the present invention.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
It will be understood from the foregoing description that modifications and changes may be made in various embodiments of the present invention without departing from its true spirit. The descriptions in this specification are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the language of the following claims.
