Suppression of Guard-Trace Resonance by Matched Termination for Reducing Common-Mode Radiation

We propose a novel technique of matching at both ends of the guard trace to suppress resonance. This approach is derived from the viewpoint that the guard trace acts as a transmission line. We examined that matched termination suppresses guard-trace resonance through simulating a circuit and measuring radiation. We found from these results that the proposed method enables guard-trace voltages to remain low and hence avoids increases in radiation. In addition, we demonstrated that “matched termination at the far end of the guard trace” could suppress guard-trace resonance sufficiently at all frequencies. We eventually found that at least two vias at both ends of the guard trace and only one matching resistor at the far end could suppress guard-trace resonance. With respect to fewer vias, the method we propose has the advantage of reducing restrictions in the printed circuit board layout at the design stage.