PCB design and analysis optimization for insertion loss characterization by validating industry metrologies

Channel loss is a dominant factor for the signaling performance of high-speed I/O's. Some platform design guides clearly specify the printed-circuit board (PCB) loss requirement. During the initial design stage for PCB material selection, platform designers would like to have the accurate and efficient insertion loss measurement to meet the channel requirement because the PCB material contributes largely to the platform cost. In this paper, a comprehensive study on PCB design and analysis by different industrial methodologies for insertion loss characterization was conducted. Delta-L 2.0 methodology result is correlated with 2x-Thru results and it is good to utilize this for PCB electrical characterization. The de-embedding structure by 4 inch and 2 inch with handheld probes is validated in the accuracy, efficiency and compact test coupon size, compared with the design with 10 inch and 5 inch by SMA.