Appeal No. 2001-1444
Application No. 08/994,706
The disclosed invention relates to the decoupling of
conductors used to distribute power and ground potentials in
electronic packages and chips. More particularly, Absorbing
Plane Terminators (APTs) are coupled between ground and power
conductors of an electronic package. The APTs include a resistor
with a value which matches the approximate characteristic
impedance of the conductor structures, and a decoupling capacitor
connected in series with the resistor. According to Appellants
(specification, page 3), the APTs reduce electronic noise and
electromagnetic radiation over a wide range of frequencies and
also dampen resonances caused by the parasitic inductance of the
decoupling capacitor.
Claim 18 is illustrative of the invention and reads as
follows:
18. An electronic package having a plurality of
conducting planes, said conducting planes including a
power plane and a ground plane that, together, serve as
a power distribution system, said power plane and
ground plane exhibiting discontinuities that comprise
at least one of: a periphery of a plane or an aperture
through a plane, said electronic package further
comprising:
a plurality of circuit elements connected only
between said discontinuities of the power plane and the
ground plane and at approximately uniformly spaced-
apart intervals along each discontinuity, to minimize
transient currents and voltages therethrough, said
circuit elements each consisting of a capacitor in
2
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