Comparison of mesh and solid planes for use in electrical packaging

Abstract

In many computer applications, mesh planes replace solid planes for reasons that include better adhesion of the dielectric layers that lie between the planes, a higher characteristic impedance made possible by the openings in the mesh plane, and better air flow through mesh as opposed to solid planes. Usually, such a substitution can be done with minimal system impact, but not always. This paper compares mesh and solid planes with regard to coupled noise, delta-I noise, and shielding effectiveness in an effort to determine when such substitution is practical. Various issues in performing the analyses are discussed and as number of related calculation are presented.