Investigation of split groundplanes at the connector for EMI control

EMI can often be reduced by selectively filtering various parts of a given system. One common method employed by designers is to split the groundplane near the chassis and route I/O lines over the split. The rationale is based on providing a large series impedance to common-mode on the I/O lines. In this manner, PCB designers hope to lower the level of noise currents contributing to radiation. This work studies the efficacy of the groundplane split as a deterrent for EMI associated with I/O lines being driven against other extended reference structures. A test-board was developed to analyze the impedance of the groundplane with various configurations.