Validation of Switching Voltage Regulator Noise Mitigation to Signals

Switching voltage regulator noise has been a critical negative impact to signal integrity failure, and a well-considered board design is essential in advance. In this work, we analyze three common coupling paths from a VRM (voltage regulator module) to signals: broadside, orthogonal, and vertical coupling. Then we investigate the dominance of each coupling mechanism and validate the switching noise mitigation in a real-world server system. Based on the findings, the noise reduction techniques, extending the distance and applying the back drilling, have been demonstrated in both simulation and measurement methods.