Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Benjamin Toby

Karl Joseph Bois

David P Kopp

Elene Chobanyan

A multiple-layer circuit board has a signaling layer, an exterior layer, and a ground layer. A pair of differential signal lines implemented as strip lines are within the signaling layer, and propagate electromagnetic interference (EMI) along the signaling layer. An element conductively extends inwards from the exterior layer. A void of a defected ground structure within the ground layer has a size, shape, and a location in relation to the element to suppress the EMI propagated by the strip lines. A resistive material of the defected ground structure along a perimeter of the void improves suppression of the EMI propagated by the strip lines, via the resistive material absorbing the EMI.

Defected ground structure with void having resistive material along perimeter to improve EMI suppression

An example communications device may include a slicer that may generate a digital output signal by thresholding a received signal according to variably set timing and voltage parameters. Testing circuitry may determine expected bit error ratios for multiple time-voltage slicer by performing test operations corresponding respectively to the multiple time-voltage slices. Each of the test operations may include setting the timing and voltage parameters of the slicer based on the corresponding time-voltage slice, periodically measuring a number of total bits and a number of erroneous bits based on the digital output signal and calculating a two-sided bit error ratio frequentist confidence interval (FCI) size from the measured bit error ratio. The measured bit error ratio is output in response to the two-sided bit error ratio FCI being less than or equal to a two-sided bit error ratio interval target size.

Bit error ratio tests with two-sided bit error ratio frequentist intervals

One example includes a machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions. The instructions are executable by a processor of a system to cause the system to receive at least one target electrical characteristic indicating a target impedance of a passive printed circuit board (PCB) structure. The passive PCB structure is a component of a serial communication channel. The instructions are executable by the processor to cause the system to divide the passive PCB structure into a plurality of elements. Each element has an input and an output. The instructions are executable by the processor to cause the system to determine at least one parameter of each element such that an image impedance of the input and the output of each element equals the target impedance.

Determining parameters of PCB structures

A multiple-layer circuit board has a signaling layer, an exterior layer, and a ground layer. A pair of differential signal lines implemented as strip lines are within the signaling layer, and propagate electromagnetic interference (EMI) along the signaling layer. An element conductively extends inwards from the exterior layer, and as an antenna radiates the EMI propagated by the strip lines along the signaling layer outwards from the circuit board. A defected ground structure within the ground layer has a size, shape, and a location in relation to the element to suppress the EMI propagated by the strip lines to minimize the EMI that the element radiates outwards as the antenna.

Defected ground structure to minimize EMI radiation

One example includes a printed circuit board (PCB) structure. The PCB structure includes a first dereferenced microstrip and a first capacitor pad contacting the first dereferenced microstrip. The PCB structure includes a second dereferenced microstrip and a second capacitor pad contacting the second dereferenced microstrip. The PCB structure also includes a capacitor including a first terminal contacting the first capacitor pad and a second terminal contacting the second capacitor pad.

Printed circuit board capacitor structures

An example communications device may include a slicer that may generate a digital output signal by thresholding a received signal according to variably set timing and voltage parameters. Testing circuitry may determine expected bit error ratios for multiple time-voltage slices by performing test operations corresponding respectively to the multiple time-voltage slices. Each of the test operations may include setting the timing and voltage parameters of the slicer based on the corresponding time-voltage slice, periodically measuring a bit error ratio based on the digital output signal and determining a confidence level for the measured bit error ratio, and in response to the determined confidence level equaling or exceeding a specified value, designating a current value of the measured bit-error ratio as the expected bit error ratio for the corresponding time-voltage slice and ending the test operation.

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Benjamin Toby