Measurements and simulation of conductor-related loss of PCB transmission lines

With continuously increasing data rates Signal Integrity (SI) problems become more and more challenging. One of the main issues in high-speed data transfer is the frequency-dependent loss of transmission lines. This thesis is dedicated to conductor-related loss mechanisms in printed circuit board (PCB) transmission lines.;This thesis provides the experimental investigation of conductor properties used for fabrication of PCBs. Particularly, the resistivity and conductivity along with the temperature coefficients of eleven copper types is measured and reported. A four probe measurement technique is used. Results were verified by two independent measurements and show discrepancy of less than 0.5%.;Another major conductor-related loss mechanism is the attenuation of the electromagnetic waves due to the surface roughness of PCB conductors. There are several models attempting to take into account the roughness effect. However none of them are able to explain or predict the transmission line behavior with high accuracy. Particularly, the experimental observations show that the slope of S21¬ curves increases with frequency, which cannot be modelled by the existing model. To better understand the physics associated with the loss due to the surface roughness of conductors, and be able to predict the behavior of transmission lines in the future, a full wave model of surface roughness was developed. The detailed methodology for 3D roughness generation is provided.