An interconnecting apparatus employing a lossy power distribution network
to reduce power plane resonances. In one embodiment, a printed circuit
board includes a lossy power distribution network formed by a pair of
parallel planar conductors separated by a dielectric layer. The pair of
parallel planar conductors includes a first power supply plane suitable
for use, for example, as a ground plane and a second power supply plane
suitable for use, for example, as a power plane (e.g., VCC). The
dielectric layer has a loss tangent value of at least 0.2, and preferably
of at least 0.3. In one embodiment, the dielectric material between the
power planes could have a frequency dependent loss tangent, such that a
loss tangent value of 0.3 is achieved at and above the lowest resonance
frequency of the planes. Due to the relatively large loss tangent
characteristic of the dielectric layer separating the power supply planes,
the electrical impedance characteristics associated with the power planes
may be stabilized, and power plane resonances may be reduced. The printed
circuit board may also include one or more signal layers separated from
the power planes by respective dielectric layers. The dielectric layers
separating the signal layers from the power planes or other signal layers
may be associated with much lower loss tangent values, such as in the
range of 0-0.05. In this manner, high frequency losses associated with the
signal traces may be kept relatively low. In another embodiment, power
plane resonances are suppressed by decreasing the thickness of the
dielectric material between the power supply planes to less than 0.5 mils.
For example, in one embodiment, the plane separation is preferably reduced
to less than 0.2 mils such as, for example, 0.1 mils. In embodiments where
the plane separation approaches 0.1 mils or less, plane resonances may be
substantially suppressed.