Field-to-Long-Segmented-Trace Coupling With Arbitrary Loads and a Transparent Upper Bound Using a Single Modified Taylor Cell

In modern electronic products, the printed circuit board (PCB) traces may well form the dominant coupling path in radiated immunity problems. Therefore, an understanding of the designable parameters that influences the worst-case induced voltages can be of use to the PCB designer, together with rapid simulations. Therefore, a modified single (unmeshed) Taylor cell is combined with the transmission line theory to predict the terminal voltages induced by a grazing, vertically polarized plane wave, incident on a multisegment trace with arbitrary terminal impedances. The resulting model is closed form and therefore suitable for rapid simulations. Furthermore, the model is geometrically approximated to provide understanding on how designable PCB parameters determine the worst-case induced voltage. Finally, the model is compared to measurement results.