Ultra-Wideband Common-Mode Rejection Structure with Autonomous Phase Balancing for Ultra-High-Speed Digital Transmission

For ultra-high-speed digital transmission, required by 5G/6G communications, ultra-wideband common-mode rejection (CMR) structures with autonomous phase-balancing capability are proposed. Common-mode noise, caused by phase and amplitude unbalances, is one of the most undesired disturbances affecting modern digital circuits. According to the circuit design guides with a typically used differential line (DL) for high-speed digital transmission, common-mode rejection is achieved using CMR filters, and the unbalanced phase, caused by a length difference between the two signal lines of a DL, is compensated by inserting an additional delay line. However, due to nonlinear phase interactions between the two DLs and unbalanced electromagnetic (EM) interferences, the conventional compensation method is frequency-limited at around 10 GHz. To significantly enhance the common-mode rejection level and extend the phase recovery bandwidth, the proposed CMR structure utilizes a planar balanced line (BL), such as a coplanar stripline (CPS) or a parallel stripline (PSL), along with additional conductor strips arranged laterally near the BL. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed BL-based CMR structures, various types of CMR structures are fabricated, and the measurement results are compared with the 3D EM simulation results. As a result, it is proven that the proposed BL-based CMR structures have the capability to reject the common-mode noise with suppression levels of more than 10 dB and to simultaneously recover the phase balance from near DC to over 40 GHz.