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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · PCB Design and Manufacturing

Ground plane

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, ground plane means: A large, continuous area of copper on a PCB layer that is connected to ground. It gives signals a short, low-impedance return path and helps reduce noise.

In Turkish: toprak düzlemi, GND düzlemi, şase katmanı

How it is used

Used in PCB layout and EMC discussions. Engineers keep the ground plane solid, avoid splitting it, connect parts to it with vias and route fast signals directly over it. In a four-layer board, one inner layer is usually a ground plane.

Example sentences

  1. The slot in the ground plane forces the return current to take a long detour.

  2. Layer 2 is a solid ground plane under all the high-speed signals.

Common collocations

  • solid ground plane
  • split ground plane
  • return path
  • ground pour
  • groundThe common reference point of a circuit, taken as 0 V, or a safety connection to the earth. In electronics it is marked GND; in installations it is the protective earth conductor.
  • PCBShort for printed circuit board: a flat board of insulating material with copper tracks that hold electronic components and connect them to each other.
  • viaA small plated hole in a PCB that connects a trace or copper area on one layer to another layer.
  • EMCShort for electromagnetic compatibility: the ability of a device to work properly in its electromagnetic environment without disturbing other equipment or being disturbed by it.
  • noiseUnwanted random or interfering signals that mix with the signal you want and make it harder to measure or use. It can come from components, power supplies, motors or radio sources.

More terms: PCB Design and Manufacturing

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