Power Referenced Design - How Bad is Not So Bad?

摘要

This paper examines the feasibility of using a power reference for high speed signal transmission based on theory analysis and simulations. First, the fundamental and implementation differences between power reference and ground reference are compared. Then various factors including single ended and differential pair, the impedance of PDN(power distribution network), and layer transitions, are investigated to evaluate their respective impact on the performance of power referenced design. Finally, a set of practical guidelines are presented along with the limitation of the study.