iCD Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) Planner
"Model microstrip Coplanar Waveguides to reduce radiation loss, of high-speed serial links, significantly improving product performance".
The classic coplanar waveguide (CPW) is formed by a microstrip conductor strip separated from a pair of ground plane pours, all on the same layer, affixed to a dielectric medium. The impedance is determined by the ratio of trace width to clearance, so size reduction is possible without limit, the only penalty being higher losses. In addition, a virtual ground plane exists between any two adjacent lines, as there is no field at that point. Hence crosstalk effects, between adjacent lines, are very weak.
A optional Dielectric Materials Library, of over 31,500 rigid and flexible materials up to 100GHz, can optionally be incorporated to further improve accuracy. This can increase accuracy by up to 5%. This is arguably the most comprehensive materials library in the PCB industry. For a complete list of the manufacturers and products included in the library please click here. This allows the creation of realistic multilayer stackups using the same core, prepreg and solder mask materials stocked by the PCB Fabricator so, what you calculate is what you get - not approximations!
The CPW offers several advantages over a conventional microstrip transmission line:
Facilitates easy shunt as well as series surface mounting of active and passive devices
Eliminates the need for via holes and wraparound (ground plating on the edge of a substrate to provide a low inductance path)
Reduces radiation loss at very high microwave frequencies
Request a free 14-day evaluation.
Coplanar Waveguide Configurations
There
are five generic CPW structure TABs at the top of the iCD CPW Planner dialog. These represent single and dual (differential) CPW with and without ground reference planes plus a dual Coplanar Strip (CPS) which has no ground reference plane or copper pours.
iCD CPW Planner
Reduces radiation loss at extremely high frequencies
Fast Coplanar Waveguide analysis of five of the most popular microstrip structures
Model single and dual (differential) CPWs, with and without ground reference planes, plus a dual Coplanar Strip (CPS) which has no ground reference plane or copper pours
Characteristic impedance and edge-coupled differential impedance with solder mask
Extensive Dielectric Materials Library - over 31,275 rigid and flexible materials up to 100GHz
Request a free 14-day evaluation.
