INHOMOGENEOUS DIELECTRIC MEDIUM HIGH-SPEED STRIPLINE TRACE SYSTEM

Abstract

An inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system includes first and second ground layers. A first dielectric layer has a first dielectric constant and is located adjacent the first ground layer, and a second dielectric layer has a second dielectric constant that is different than the first dielectric constant and is located between the first dielectric layer and the second ground layer. A first differential trace pair is located between the first and second dielectric layer. A plurality of first vias extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer and are spaced part from each other and the first differential trace pair. A plurality of second vias extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer, are spaced part from each other and the first differential trace pair, and are located opposite the first differential trace pair from the plurality of first vias.

Claims

1. An inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system, comprising: a first ground layer; a second ground layer; a first dielectric layer that has a first dielectric constant and that is located adjacent the first ground layer; a second dielectric layer that has a second dielectric constant that is different than the first dielectric constant and that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second ground layer; a first differential trace pair that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer; a plurality of first vias that extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer and that are spaced between 50-250 mils from each other, and spaced between 5-50 mils from the first differential trace pair; and a plurality of second vias that extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer, that are spaced between 50-250 mils from each other, spaced between 5-50 mils from the first differential trace pair, and that are located opposite the first differential trace pair from the plurality of first vias.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer is a core dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is a prepreg dielectric layer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first vias and the plurality of second vias are spaced part from the first differential trace pair along the length of the first differential trace pair.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a second differential trace pair that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer and opposite the plurality of first vias from the first differential trace pair, wherein the first differential trace pair is configured to transmit signals and, in response, produce a magnetic field, and the plurality of first vias prevents a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field from exceeding a magnetic field strength threshold at the second differential trace pair.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the signals are transmitted at a frequency of at least 20 GHz.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first differential trace pair and the second differential trace pair are spaced between 20-40 mils from each other.

7. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising: a chassis; a processing system that is housed in the chassis; and a board that is housed in the chassis and that supports the processing system, wherein the board includes: a first ground layer; a second ground layer; a first dielectric layer that has a first dielectric constant and that is located adjacent the first ground layer; a second dielectric layer that has a second dielectric constant that is different than the first dielectric constant and that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second ground layer; a first differential trace pair that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer and that is coupled to the processing system; a plurality of first vias that extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer and that are spaced between 50-250 mils from each other, and spaced between 5-50 mils from the first differential trace pair; and a plurality of second vias that extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer, that are spaced between 50-250 mils from each other, and spaced between 5-50 mils from the first differential trace pair, and that are located opposite the first differential trace pair from the plurality of first vias.

8. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the first dielectric layer is a core dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is a prepreg dielectric layer.

9. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the plurality of first vias and the plurality of second vias are spaced part from the first differential trace pair along the length of the first differential trace pair.

10. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the board includes: a second differential trace pair that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer and opposite the plurality of first vias from the first differential trace pair, wherein the first differential trace pair is configured to transmit signals and, in response, produce a magnetic field, and the plurality of first vias prevents a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field from exceeding a magnetic field strength threshold at the second differential trace pair.

11. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the signals are transmitted at a frequency of at least 20 GHz.

12. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the first differential trace pair and the second differential trace pair are spaced between 20-40 mils from each other.

13. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the plurality of first vias are equally spaced from each other, and wherein the plurality of second vias are equally spaced from each other.

14. A method for providing high speed signals via stripline traces in an inhomogeneous dielectric medium, comprising: receiving, at a board that includes a pair of ground layers and a pair of dielectric layers that are located between the pair of ground layers and that each include a different dielectric constant, signals; transmitting, by a first differential trace pair that is located between the pair of dielectric layers in the board, the signals; preventing, by a plurality of vias that extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer and that are spaced between 50-250 mils from each other and between 5-50 mils from the first differential trace pair on opposite sides of the first differential trace pair, a magnetic field produced in response to the transmission of the signals by the first differential trace pair from having a magnetic field strength that is greater than a magnetic field strength threshold at a threshold distance from the first differential trace pair.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pair of dielectric layers include a core dielectric layer and a prepreg dielectric layer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of vias are spaced part from the first differential trace pair along the length of the first differential trace pair.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of vias prevent the magnetic field produced in response to the transmission of the signals by the first differential trace pair from having the magnetic field strength that is greater than the magnetic field strength threshold at a second differential trace pair that is located between the pair of dielectric layers in the board and adjacent the first differential trace pair.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the signals are transmitted at a frequency of at least 20 GHz.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first differential trace pair and the second differential trace pair are spaced between 20-40 mils from each other.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of first vias are equally spaced from each other, and wherein the plurality of second vias are equally spaced from each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of an Information Handling System (IHS).

[0009] FIG. 2A is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a circuit board.

[0010] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the circuit board of FIG. 2A.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 2A and 2B provided with a conventional configuration.

[0012] FIG. 4A is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 2A and 2B provided with a conventional configuration.

[0013] FIG. 4B is a graph view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 2A and 2B provided with a conventional configuration.

[0014] FIG. 4C is a graph view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 2A and 2B provided with a conventional configuration.

[0015] FIG. 4D is a graph view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 2A and 2B provided with a conventional configuration.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for providing high speed signals via stripline traces in an inhomogeneous dielectric medium.

[0017] FIG. 6A is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the circuit board of FIGS. 2A and 2B provided with the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the circuit board of FIG. 6A.

[0019] FIG. 7A is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0020] FIG. 7B is a graph view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0021] FIG. 7C is a graph view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0022] FIG. 7D is a graph view illustrating an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g., blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, touchscreen and/or a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

[0024] In one embodiment, IHS 100, FIG. 1, includes a processor 102, which is connected to a bus 104. Bus 104 serves as a connection between processor 102 and other components of IHS 100. An input device 106 is coupled to processor 102 to provide input to processor 102. Examples of input devices may include keyboards, touchscreens, pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs, and trackpads, and/or a variety of other input devices known in the art. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device 108, which is coupled to processor 102. Examples of mass storage devices may include hard discs, optical disks, magneto-optical discs, solid-state storage devices, and/or a variety of other mass storage devices known in the art. IHS 100 further includes a display 110, which is coupled to processor 102 by a video controller 112. A system memory 114 is coupled to processor 102 to provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor 102. Examples of system memory may include random access memory (RAM) devices such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), solid state memory devices, and/or a variety of other memory devices known in the art. In an embodiment, a chassis 116 houses some or all of the components of IHS 100. It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processor 102 to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor 102.

[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an embodiment of a circuit board 200 is illustrated that is described in some embodiments below as being provided with a convention configuration for purposes of discussing the deficiencies in such conventional configurations, as well as being configured with the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system in other embodiments. One of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the embodiment of the circuit board 200 illustrated in FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the circuit board 200 illustrated in FIG. 2A taken along like 2B. In the illustrated embodiment, the circuit board 200 includes a pair of ground layers 202 and 204, a dielectric medium between the ground layers 202 and 204 that is provided by a core dielectric layer 206 that engages the ground layer 202 and a prepreg dielectric layer 208 that engages the core dielectric layer 206 and the ground layer 204, and differential trace pairs that are suspended in the dielectric medium between the ground layers 202 and 204 and that are provided in the illustrated embodiment by a differential trace pair 210 with traces 210a and 210b, and a differential trace pair 212 with traces 212a and 212b. While not explicitly illustrated herein, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize how a processing system (e.g., the processor 102 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1), a memory system (e.g., the system memory 114 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1), and/or other components may be mounted to and/or otherwise coupled to the circuit board, and communicatively connected together by the differential trace pairs 210 and 212 (e.g., the processing system may be coupled to the memory system or other components via one or more differential trace pairs).

[0026] For example, the manufacture of the circuit board 200 may include providing a first Copper Clad Layer (CCL) that includes a core dielectric layer sandwiched between a first copper layer and a second copper layer. That first CCL may then have its second copper layer etched to provide the differential trace pairs 210 and 212. A second CCL may then be provided that includes a third copper layer (as well as a fourth copper layer and core dielectric layer similar to the first CCL in some examples), and the third copper layer may be adhered to the first CCL (that was etched with the differential trace pairs 210 and 212) using a prepreg dielectric material that provides the prepreg dielectric layer 208. As such, the circuit board 200 will include the first copper layer and the third copper layer as ground layers 202 and 204, respectively, with the differential trace pairs 210 and 212 suspended in the dielectric medium provided by the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208. However, while a specific portion of a circuit board 200 has been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that circuit boards provided with a conventional configuration and/or with the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure may include a variety of components and component configurations (e.g., additional layers, etc.) while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

[0027] Referring now to FIG. 3, an embodiment of the operation of the circuit board 200 when it is provided with a conventional configuration is illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the dielectric medium provided by the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 may be treated as homogeneous due to, for example, the balancing/matching of core dielectric layer/prepreg dielectric layer constituents (e.g., resins, glass percentages, etc.) and/or the transmission of relatively lower frequency signals (e.g., under 20 GHz in the examples below). As illustrated in FIG. 3, the transmission of data signals using the differential trace pair 210 (when the dielectric medium provided by the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 may be treated as homogeneous) produces magnetic field(s) 300 around the traces 210a and 210b that are relatively contained in that the strength of those magnetic field(s) reduces below a magnetic field strength threshold at a distance from the traces 210a and 210b (illustrated by a dashed line in FIG. 3) that does not reach the neighboring differential trace pair 212. As discussed above, the principle operating mode of a stripline trace is transverse electromagnetic (TEM) when the dielectric medium is homogeneous and, as such, the parallel plate mode of the ground layers 202 and 204 would be orthogonal to the TEM mode and thus not excited by that TEM mode, thus providing for the relatively “contained” magnetic field(s) 300.

[0028] However, as also discussed above, the dielectric medium provided by the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 may be treated as inhomogeneous due to, for example, the inability to balance/match the core dielectric layer/prepreg dielectric layer constituents (e.g., resins, glass percentages, etc.) and/or the transmission of relatively higher frequency signals (e.g., above 20 GHz in the examples below). With reference to FIG. 4A, the transmission of data signals using the differential trace pair 210 (when the dielectric medium provided by the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 is treated as inhomogeneous) produces magnetic field(s) 400 around the traces 210a and 210b that are relatively uncontained and that experience “spreading” in that the strength of those magnetic field(s) is above a magnetic field strength threshold at a distance from the traces 210a and 210b (illustrated by a dashed line in FIG. 3) that reaches the neighboring differential trace pair 212 (e.g., the trace 212a in FIG. 4A).

[0029] As discussed above, the principle operating mode of a stripline trace is quasi-TEM when the dielectric medium is inhomogeneous (e.g., due to the core/prepreg dielectric layer differences discussed above), and the quasi-TEM mode can operate to create a potential difference in the ground layers that can produce the parallel plate mode resonance discussed above that is a parasitic mode for stripline traces. For example, electric fields in the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 (e.g., that provide the inhomogeneous dielectric medium) will have different wave speeds, and as waves propagate in their propagation direction, the phase difference between the electric fields in the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 will increase. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, that increasing electric field phase difference may operate to excite the parallel plate mode in the ground layers 202 and 204 that may then impact signals transmitted by the differential trace pairs 210 and/or 212.

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the effects of the parasitic parallel plate mode on signals transmitted via stripline traces can be observed in the multiple-tens-of-gigahertz frequency ranges, and results in higher order modes that can cause a divergence of differential-mode insertion losses 400 and common-mode insertion losses 402 in the circuit board (e.g., a divergence which begins at approximately 8 GHz and becomes relatively significant at approximately 20 GHz and above in FIG. 4B). As such, a stripline trace in an inhomogeneous medium that transmits a relatively high-speed signal (e.g., the trace 210b in the circuit board 200 in the example of FIG. 4A) can product a magnetic field that can cause crosstalk noise and other signal integrity issues in the circuit board (e.g., in the trace 212a in the circuit board 200 in the example of FIG. 4A). FIG. 4C illustrates the magnetic field(s) produced by the differential trace pair 210 in FIG. 4A (with the differential trace pair 210 modeled as running from right to left in FIG. 4C), with a portion 404a of the magnetic field(s) centered around the differential trace pair 210, and portions 404b of the magnetic field(s) uncontained and experiencing “spreading” on either side of the differential trace pair 210 (e.g., with a magnetic field strength that exceeds a magnetic field strength threshold). FIG. 4D illustrates an eye diagram 406 for the trace 212a in FIG. 4A with an eye 406a that, as discussed below, is relatively degraded due to the crosstalk noise and/or other signal integrity issues produced by the magnetic field(s) 400 provided by the differential trace pair 210. As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the provisioning of differential trace pairs in a inhomogeneous dielectric medium between a pair of ground layers can excite a parallel plate mode in those ground layers when transmitting relatively high speed signals, and that parallel plate mode can propagate through the ground layers and couple to the traces in the differential trace pairs, causing cross talk noise and/or other signal integrity issues known in the art.

[0031] Referring now to FIG. 5, an embodiment of a method 500 for providing high speed signals via stripline traces in an inhomogeneous dielectric medium is illustrated. As discussed below, the systems and methods of the present disclosure provide differential trace pairs in an inhomogeneous dielectric medium between ground layers with vias that extend between those ground layers on each side of the differential trace pair in order to reduce parallel plate mode conversions by those ground layers when relatively high-speed signals are transmitted by those differential trace pairs. For example, the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure may include first and second ground layers, a first dielectric layer that has a first dielectric constant and that is located adjacent the first ground layer, and a second dielectric layer that has a second dielectric constant that is different than the first dielectric constant and that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second ground layer. A first differential trace pair is located between the first and second dielectric layer. A plurality of first vias extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer and are spaced part from each other and the first differential trace pair, and a plurality of second vias extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer, are spaced part from each other and the first differential trace pair, and are located opposite the first differential trace pair from the plurality of first vias. The plurality of first and second vias prevent the magnetic field produced in response to the transmission of signals by the first differential trace pair from having the magnetic field strength that is greater than the magnetic field strength threshold at a second differential trace pair that is located adjacent the first differential trace pair. As discussed below, the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure only allows the magnetic field(s) to couple between the traces in the differential trace pair producing them, thus minimizing parallel plate mode conversions by the ground layers, reducing crosstalk with neighboring differential trace pairs, reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiation by the circuit board, and providing other benefits that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure.

[0032] The method 500 begins at block 502 where a circuit board is provided with the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure. In an embodiment of block 502, the circuit board 200 may be provided with the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure by providing vias that extend between the ground layers and on each side of the differential trace pairs in the circuit board 200. For example, with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a plurality of vias 600 may be provided in the circuit board 200 such that they extend through the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 and between the ground layers 202 and 204 on a first side of the differential trace pair 210 that is opposite the trace 210a from the trace 210b, and a plurality of vias 602 may be provided in the circuit board 200 such that they extend through the core dielectric layer 206 and the prepreg dielectric layer 208 and between the ground layers 202 and 204 on a second side of the differential trace pair 210 that is opposite the trace 210b from the trace 210a. For example, the plurality of vias 600 and 602 may be provided by a copper material or other conductive materials known in the art.

[0033] In a specific example, the plurality of vias 600 may be spaced between 5-50 mils from the trace 210a in the differential trace pair 210 and spaced between 50-250 mils from each other, and the plurality of vias 602 may be spaced between 5-50 mils from the trace 210b in the differential trace pair 210 and spaced between 50-250 mils from each other. However, while the plurality of vias 600 and 602 are illustrated and described with specific, substantially equal spacing between them and the differential trace pair 210, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that unequal spacing of the vias 600 and 602 and/or different spacing distances will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well. Furthermore, while vias 600 and 602 are illustrated and described as being provided on opposite sides of the differential trace pair 210 at block 502 above, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that similar vias may be provided on opposite sides of the differential trace pair 212 (as well as on opposite sides of other differential trace pairs) in a similar manner while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

[0034] The method 500 then proceeds to block 504 where signals are received at the circuit board. In an embodiment, at block 504, data signals may be received at the circuit board 200 via, for example, components mounted to and/or otherwise coupled to the circuit board 200 (e.g., the processing system, memory system, or other components discussed above). In specific examples, the data signals received by the circuit board 200 at block 504 may be generated and transmitted at relatively high frequencies (e.g., 20 GHz and above), and provided to traces in a differential trace pair (e.g., the traces 210a and 210b in the differential trace pair 210 in the example below) that is coupled to the component that generated and provided those data signals to the circuit board 200.

[0035] The method 500 then proceeds to block 506 where the signals are transmitted via trace(s) in the circuit board. In an embodiment, at block 506, the traces 210a and 210b in the differential trace pair 210 may operate to transmit the data signals received by the circuit board 200 at block 504 at the relatively high frequencies (e.g., 20 GHz and above) at which they were received. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the data signals transmitted by the traces 210a and 210b in the differential trace pair 210 at block 506 may include complementary data signals transmitted as a differential pair of signals (e.g., with a respective one of each of the complementary data signals transmitted on each trace 210a and 210b).

[0036] The method 500 then proceeds to block 508 where vias on opposite sides of the trace(s) prevent magnetic field(s) produced by the trace(s) from having a magnetic field strength that is greater than a magnetic field strength threshold. With reference to FIG. 7A, in an embodiment of block 508 and in response to the transmission of the data signals by the traces 210a and 210b in the differential trace pair 210 at block 506, magnetic field(s) 700 will be produced by the traces 210a and 210b in the differential trace pair 210. However, as can be seen in FIG. 7A, the plurality of vias 600 and 602 on opposite sides of the differential trace pair 210 provide a “via cage” that contain the magnetic field(s) 700 such that the strength of those magnetic field(s) 700 reduces below a magnetic field strength threshold at the vias 600 and 602. As such, the positioning of the plurality of vias 602 between the trace 210b in the differential trace pair 210 and the trace 212a in the differential trace pair 212 operates to prevent the magnetic field(s) 700 from reaching the trace 212a in the neighboring differential trace pair 212 (e.g., from having a magnetic field strength above the magnetic field strength threshold at the trace 212a). For example, the spacing between the differential trace pairs 210 and 212 may follow high-speed design rules that provide a spacing of approximately 20-40 miles, although one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize how the system of the present disclosure may be configured to provide the benefits discussed above for differential trace pairs with different spacings while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. As such, the magnetic field(s) 700 produced by the differential trace pair 210 are substantially prevented from reaching the neighboring trace 212a, minimizing parallel plate mode conversions and reducing parallel plate mode effects due to the “stitching” of the ground layers 202a and 204 with the vias 600 and 602 in order to confine those magnetic field(s) 700.

[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the plurality of vias 600 and 602 on opposite sides of the differential trace pair 210 prevent mode conversions and corresponding higher order modes that would otherwise cause a divergence of differential-mode insertion losses 700 and common-mode insertion losses 702 in the circuit board (e.g., as occurs with the differential-mode insertion losses 400 and common-mode insertion losses 402 as discussed above with reference to FIG. 4B). Furthermore, FIG. 7C illustrates the magnetic field(s) produced by the differential trace pair 210 in FIG. 7A (with the differential trace pair 210 modeled as running from right to left in FIG. 7C), with a portion 702 of the magnetic field(s) centered around the differential trace pair 210 similarly as in FIG. 4C, and with portions 704b of the magnetic field(s) contained and prevented from “spreading” on either side of the differential trace pair 210 (e.g., with a magnetic field strength that exceeds a magnetic field strength threshold) by the vias 600 and 602 (i.e., as occurs with the portions 404b of the magnetic fields discussed above with regard to FIG. 4C). Further still, FIG. 7D illustrates an eye diagram 706 for the trace 212a in FIG. 7A with an eye 706a that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize shows a clear improvement from the eye 406a in the eye diagram 406 discussed above with reference to FIG. 4D. As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the configuration of the vias on opposite sides of a differential trace pair in a inhomogeneous dielectric medium between a pair of ground layers according to the teachings of the present disclosure can reduce or prevent the excitement of a parallel plate mode in those ground layers when transmitting relatively high speed signals, in turn reducing cross talk noise in neighboring traces and/or other signal integrity issues known in the art.

[0038] Thus, systems and methods have been described that provide for the configuration of differential trace pairs in an inhomogeneous dielectric medium between ground layers with vias that extend between those ground layers on each side of the differential trace pairs in order to reduce parallel plate mode conversions by those ground layers when relatively high-speed signals are transmitted by those differential trace pairs. For example, the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure may include first and second ground layers, a first dielectric layer that has a first dielectric constant and that is located adjacent the first ground layer, and a second dielectric layer that has a second dielectric constant that is different than the first dielectric constant and that is located between the first dielectric layer and the second ground layer. A first differential trace pair is located between the first and second dielectric layer. A plurality of first vias extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer and are spaced part from each other and the first differential trace pair, and a plurality of second vias extend between the first ground layer and the second ground layer, are spaced part from each other and the first differential trace pair, and are located opposite the first differential trace pair from the plurality of first vias. The plurality of first and second vias prevent the magnetic field produced in response to the transmission of the signals by the first differential trace pair from having the magnetic field strength that is greater than the magnetic field strength threshold at a second differential trace pair that is located adjacent the first differential trace pair. As such, the inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system of the present disclosure improves high-speed signal performance even in the presence of an inhomogeneous dielectric medium, provides a cost-effective solution to dampen parallel plate mode between ground layers and ensure relatively higher signal quality, reduces crosstalk with neighboring traces, reduces mode conversion that could otherwise result in radiation and other negative side effects, and result in relatively lower insertion losses even in the presence of skew (the impact of which can aggravate parallel plate mode in the ground layers).

[0039] Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.