Characterization of a Computer Board-to-Board Ultra-Wideband Channel

In this paper we present the results of an extensive ultra-wideband (UWB) measurement campaign performed inside the chassis of two desktop computers. The purpose of the campaign is to analyze the possibility of board-to-board communications, replacing cable connections. Measurements of the propagation channel are performed over a frequency range of 3.1 - 10.6 GHz using a vector network analyzer and antennas small enough to enable integration on a circuit board. The results show that the propagation environment is very uniform, with small variations in the path gain between different positions within a computer. We also performed interference measurements, showing that the interference is restricted to certain subbands.