Evaluation Method of Voltage and Current Distributions on Asymmetrical and Equi-Length Differential-Paired Lines

Abstract

For actual multi-channel differential signaling system, the ideal balance or symmetrical topology cannot be established, and hence, an imbalance component is excited. However a theoretical analysis method of evaluating the voltage and current distribution on the differential-paired lines, which allows to anticipate EM radiation at the design stage and to study possible means for suppressing imbalance components, has not been implemented. To provide the basic considerations for electromagnetic (EM) radiation from practical asymmetrical differential-paired lines structure with equi-length routing used in high-speed board design, this paper newly proposes an analytical method for evaluating the voltage and current at any point on differential-paired lines by expressing the differential paired-lines with an equivalent source circuit and an equivalent load circuit. The proposed method can predict S-parameters, distributions of voltage and current and EM radiation with sufficient accuracy. In addition, the proposed method provides enough flexibility for different geometric parameters and can be used to develop physical insights and design guidelines. This study has successfully established a basic method to effectively predict signal integrity and EM interference issues on a differential-paired lines.