A novel method for IR-drop reduction in high-performance printed circuit boards

In this paper, we studied the problem of IR drop of high performance multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs). Adaptive mesh is used to simplify the process and improve efficiency. It is found that both vias contact of voltage regulator module (VRM) and the copper planes produce significant IR drop. A novel method for IR drop reduction is proposed, which can significantly reduce the resistance introduced by vias contact of VRM and copper planes. This method can reduce IR drop by about 50%. Furthermore, we also discuss the IR drop reduction for multi-plane structures. With reasonable design rules, the IR drop of PCBs with current demand of 100+A can be kept within a few tens of millivolt.