A gigabit multidrop serial backplane for high-speed digital systems based on asymmetrical power splitter

The maximum data rate in today's available multidrop backplanes is significantly limited due to signal integrity concerns. In this brief, a novel gigabit multidrop serial link configuration for high-speed digital systems based on newly developed asymmetrical broadband power splitters with matching trace impedance, is presented. The proposed power splitter features good impedance match at all ports without the insertion losses being inherent to common resistive power splitters. Experimental results obtained from implemented prototypes demonstrate a satisfactory operation of the proposed multidrop serial backplane for a data rate above 3.5 Gbps.