Accurate experimental characterization of interconnects: a discussion of `Experimental electrical characterization of interconnects and discontinuities in high-speed digital systems'

Two issues concerning the accuracy of electrical characterizations of interconnect transmission lines, particularly in regard to a recently published paper (S.B. Goldberg et al., ibid., vol.14, pp.761-5, Dec. 191) are discussed. The error in the characteristic impedance may be reduced through an alternative approximation to the capacitance of the transmission line. Furthermore, measurements of both the propagation constant and characteristic impedance, the two primary parameters characterizing the line, may be improved by the use of a well-conditioned algorithm