Computational and experimental study of a microwave electromagnetic bandgap structure with waveguiding defect for potential use as a bandpass wireless interconnect

As clock rates continue to rise, problems with signal integrity, cross-coupling, and radiation may render impractical the baseband metallic interconnects presently used in computers. A potential means to address this problem is to use bandpass wireless interconnects operating at millimeter-wave center frequencies. We have conducted experimental and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational studies scaled to a 10 GHz center frequency of single-row and double-row waveguiding defects within an electromagnetic bandgap structure. Our initial experimental results scaled to 10 GHz have verified the feasibility of achieving an approximately 80% bandwidth with excellent stopband, gain flatness, and matching characteristics. When scaled to millimeter-wave center frequencies above 300 GHz, this technology appears feasible of supporting data rates in the hundreds of Gb/s.