Full-wave characterization of the crosstalk reduction effect of an additional grounded track introduced between two printed circuit tracks

Crosstalk between tracks on printed circuit boards can degrade the signal quality in electronic circuits and systems. An additional track, grounded at regular intervals, may be introduced between the interfering tracks to reduce the unwanted coupling. Analysis techniques for this geometry have thus far all used a quasi-TEM approach for the characterization of the coupled transmission lines, which starts failing progressively as the frequency rises. In this paper, a full-wave spectral domain analysis which includes the effects of dispersion and loss, is presented. The method produces accurate results over a wide frequency range, and is particularly useful for the faithful prediction of high frequency signal distortion.