ELECTRICAL SHIELDING USING BAR VIAS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

Abstract

An electronic device disclosed herein includes a first conductor layer, a first nonconducting layer, and a second conductor layer in a stacked arrangement. A signal carrying conductive via is formed in the first nonconducting layer and extends between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. A shielding conductive via is formed in the first nonconducting layer, is not electrically coupled to the signal carrying conductive via, and substantially completely surrounds the signal carrying conductive via in spaced apart relation thereto.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a first conductor layer, a first nonconducting layer, and a second conductor layer in a stacked arrangement; a signal carrying conductive via formed in the first nonconducting layer and extending between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer; a shielding conductive via formed in the first nonconducting layer, not electrically coupled to the signal carrying conductive via, and substantially completely surrounding the signal carrying conductive via in spaced apart relation thereto.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via has a height no greater than a height of the signal carrying conductive via.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a signal carrying conductive trace formed in the first conductor layer; wherein the signal carrying conductive via is electrically coupled to the signal carrying conductive trace; and wherein the shielding conductive via also substantially completely surrounds the signal carrying conductive trace in spaced apart relation thereto.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a first signal carrying conductive trace formed in the first conductor layer, and a second signal carrying conductive trace formed in the second conductor layer; wherein the first and second signal carrying conductive traces are electrically coupled to the signal carrying conductive via; and wherein the shielding conductive substantially partially surrounds the first and second signal carrying conductive traces in spaced apart relation therefrom.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via forms an arcuate shape about the signal carrying conductive via.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via does not extend beyond the first and second conductor layers.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via does not substantially completely surround conductive structures that are not directly electrically coupled to the signal carrying conductive via.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via substantially completely surrounds only conductive structures that are directly electrically coupled to the signal carrying conductive trace.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via is coupled to a ground node.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shielding conductive via is electrically floating.

11. An electronic device, comprising: a first conductor layer, a first nonconducting layer, and a second conductor layer in a stacked arrangement; first and second signal carrying structures that are not directly electrically coupled; wherein the first signal carrying structure comprises: a first signal carrying conductive trace formed in the first conductor layer, a second signal carrying conductive trace formed in the second conductor layer, a first signal carrying conductive via formed in the first nonconducting layer and coupling the first and second signal carrying conductive traces; wherein the second signal carrying structure comprises; a third signal carrying conductive trace formed in a selected one of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, a second signal carrying conductive via formed in the first nonconducting layer to extend between the first and second conductor layers and being electrically coupled to the third signal carrying conductive trace, a shielding conductive structure substantially completely surrounding at least a portion of the first signal carrying structure and not the second signal carrying structure.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the shielding conductive structure comprises a shielding conductive via substantially completely surrounding the first signal carrying conductive via and not the first and second signal carrying conductive traces, the shielding conductive via not being electrically coupled to the first and second signal carrying structures.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising a second shielding conductive structure comprising a second shielding conductive via substantially completely surrounding the second signal carrying conductive via and not the second signal carrying conductive trace, the second shielding conductive via not being electrically coupled to the first and second signal carrying structures.

14. A method of making an electronic device, comprising: forming a signal via extending between first and second opposed sides of a printed circuit board layer; and forming a bar via that extends between the first and second surfaces, that is not electrically connected to the signal via, and that substantially completely surrounds the signal via to form an electromagnetic shell.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the bar via is formed by removing a portion of the printed circuit board layer and plating conductive material into a void left by the removed portion of the printed circuit board layer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the bar via is formed by lithography and etching.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the signal via comprises a first signal via; further comprising forming a second signal via extending between the first and second opposed sides of the printed circuit board layer, and forming a conductive trace on the printed circuit board layer that electrically connects the first signal via and the second signal via; wherein the bar via comprises a first bar via; and further comprising forming a second bar via that extends between the first and second surfaces, that is not electrically connected to the first signal via and the second signal via, that substantially completely surrounds the first signal via to form a first electromagnetic shell, and that substantially completely surrounds the second signal via to form a second electromagnetic shell.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first bar via and the second bar via are not formed so as to substantially completely surround the conductive trace.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a ground node to be coupled to the bar via.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising leaving the bar via to electrically float.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a top view of an electronic device in accordance with this disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the electronic device of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a top view of another electronic device in accordance with this disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 1.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a top view of another electronic device in accordance with this disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another electronic device in accordance with this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In the following detailed description and the attached drawings and appendices, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure may be practiced, in some instances, without such specific details. In other instances, well-known elements have been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not to obscure the present disclosure in unnecessary detail. Additionally, for the most part, specific details, and the like, have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not considered necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present disclosure, and are considered to be within the understanding of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art.

[0018] With initial reference to FIGS. 1-2, an electronic device 100 is now described. The electronic device 100 is a printed circuit board (PCB), organic circuit substrate, or the like, and may be incorporated into any suitable or desired device.

[0019] A top side view of the electronic device 100 is shown in FIG. 1, and visible on the top side is a conductive trace 112 that couples a first conductive via 300 to a second conductive via 302. Also visible is a shielding conductive bar via 115 that runs adjacently to the first conductive via 300, and partially surrounds the first conductive via 300 in spaced apart relation thereto. The term bar via here refers to a conductive via having an elongated shape, by opposition to a standard via, which usually has a circular, point-like shape (in top view, as in FIG. 1). The shielding conductive bar via 115 is illustratively accurate in shape to conform to a shape of the first conductive via 300 and thus substantially completely surrounds the first conductive via 300, although the shielding conductive bar via 115 may take any desired shape.

[0020] As is perhaps best understood with reference to both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the exposed portions of the conductive vias 300 and 302 includes the via bodies 116, 118 themselves, and two ring lands 206, 203 extending around the periphery of the exposed surface of the via bodies 116, 118. These top ring lands 206, 203 are greater in diameter than the via bodies 116, 118. Similarly, the exposed portions of the shielding conductive bar via 115 includes the via body 201 and the top ring lands 202, which are greater in diameter than the via body 201.

[0021] As is best understood with referent to FIG. 2, the exposed portions described above form the first conductor layer 110, which is stacked on a first nonconducting layer 130, which is in turn stacked on a second conductor layer 120. The bottom ring lands 208, 210, 205, and bottom of the via bodies 207, 204 form the second conductor layer 120. Although the dielectric material of the first nonconducting layer 130 is not shown in FIG. 2, it should be appreciated that the vias 300 and 302 extend through the first nonconducting layer 130, as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, it can be seen that the first and second conductor layers 110 and 120 are lesser in thickness than the first nonconducting layer 130. While in some application the first conductor layer 110 and second conductor layer 120 may have a same thickness, in others they may have different thickness that are each less than the thickness of the first nonconducting layer 130.

[0022] It should be noted from the view of FIG. 2 that the shielding conductive bar via 115 is no greater in height than the via 300, and in particular that the via body 201 of the shielding conductive bar via 115 is no greater in height than the via bodies 116, 118 of the vias 300, 302 and that the ring land 206 is no greater in height than the ring land 202 Where a via 300 or 302 extends through multiple nonconducting layers, the shielding conductive bar via 115 may extend along a same path to shield that via, although as stated, may not be greater in height than the via that it is to shield. Thus, in some applications the conductive bar via 115 extends vertically through no more than one nonconducting layer, while in others it may extend vertically through more than one nonconducting layer.

[0023] The shielding conductive bar via 115 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 serves to shield the via 300, although in some applications, such as that shown in FIG. 3, it may extend horizontally beyond the via 300 so as to run adjacently to and substantially completely the conductive trace 112. Also, as shown, the conductive bar via 115 may extend horizontally along both lateral sides of the conductive trace 112, although it in some applications it may extend along but one lateral side of the conductive trace. The conductive bar via 115 may, for example as shown in FIG. 3, be coupled to a ground node 121, or may in some cases be left floating instead.

[0024] Although but one conductive trace 112 and but one shielding conductive bar via 115 are illustratively shown in FIGS. 1-3, in some applications there may be multiple such conductive traces, additional conductive vias, and additional shielding bar vias 115.

[0025] Of particular note is the fact that, as shown, the conductive bar via 115 serves to shield but one signal carrying structure (the vias 300 and 302 and the interconnecting conductive trace 112). Certain prior art shielding structures function so as to shield entire areas or swaths of their respective PCB's and serve to shield multiple signal carrying conductors. By shielding one signal carrying structure (or multiple signal carrying structures, but each shielded individually and not as a unit), the conductive bar via 115 taught herein allows for greater precision in shielding problem signals, and allows the shielding of multiple signal carrying structures from one another.

[0026] As is now described with additional reference to FIG. 5, in the case where there are two vias 300 and 302 connected by a conductive trace 112, there may be a bar via 115 substantially completely surrounding the via 300, and a bar via 304 substantially completely surrounding the via 302, and these bar vias 115 and 304 are not electrically coupled with one another in some applications, while in others they may be electrically coupled with one another.

[0027] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the via 116 may extend through multiple dielectric layers 131, 133, 135, and thus the bar via 115 may also extend through those dielectric layers 131, 133, 135 to substantially completely surround the via body 116.

[0028] From the disclosures made herein, it should be apparent that the conductive shielding bar vias may take any suitable size and shape, and may be used to shield any individual signal or component. The conductive shielding bar vias may be formed by removing all or a portion of a nonconducting layer, such as with a laser, and then plating a conductive material, such as copper along the voids formed by the laser. The conductive shielding bar vias may also additionally or alternatively be formed photo lithographically.

[0029] Although vias 300 and 302, and shielding bar vias 115 and 304 have been depicted as fully filled conductive vias, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to this particular type of vias. Partially filled conductive vias could be used instead.

[0030] Although the preceding description has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, it extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.