June 2014

This article investigates the impact of ground vias placed in close proximity to high speed differential signal vias and the resulting differential mode to common mode conversion. The work shows the influence of the distance between ground (GND) vias and differential signal (Diff. SIG.); the effect of the asymmetrical configuration of the GND vias; the impact of the dielectric thickness and the number of transitions between the planes.

Can thousands of regulations be harmonized?

Last summer, the European Union (EU) and the US took the first steps to establish a partnership between the two markets that together account for almost half the world’s economy. Teams of negotiators met in Washington to talk about how best to take the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) forward, and even though the second round of negotiations was canceled due to pressing political issues, both sides expressed a firm commitment to the TTIP process.

Anyone who has worked in quality or reliability in a large corporation knows that developing and presenting credible failure cost information can be difficult. This is particularly true for ESD, where the events and their effects are invisible and not nearly as well understood as other more obvious classes of failure, such as mechanical or contamination.