Composite effects of reflections and ground bounce for signal line through a split power plane

The signal propagating along a microstrip line over a slot on the power plane will suffer from composite effects of reflected noise by a discontinuity in signal return path and ground bounce between power and ground planes. A new equivalent circuit model is proposed and simulations are performed for multilayer structures to characterize these composite effects. An experimental setup is devised to demonstrate significant coupling between signal lines due to the slot-induced ground bounce. Favorable comparison between the simulation and measured results validates the proposed equivalent circuit model and analysis approach.