Printed Circuit Board Design and Layout Questions

7. Is it a good idea to stitch signal return planes together?

If your board stack-up includes more than one reference (ground) plane, these planes should be connected to each other (stitched) using vias at every opportunity to prevent cavity resonances between the planes. Well connected planes can even help to contain noise on the power planes and signal traces they enclose.

References

[1] X. Ye, W. Cui, J. Drewniak, T. Van Doren, T. Hubing, R. DuBroff, D. Hockanson, S. Radu, and M. Li, “The EMI benefits of ground plane stitching in multi-layer power bus stacks,” Proc. of the 2000 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Washington D.C., Aug. 2000, pp. 833-838.

[2] X. Ye; D. Hockanson, M. Li; Y. Ren; W. Cui; J. Drewniak, R. DuBroff, "EMI mitigation with multilayer power-bus stacks and via stitching of reference plan," IEEE Trans. on EMC, vol. 43, no. 4, Nov. 2001, pp. 538-548.