AN 958: Board Design Guidelines

ID 683073
Date 6/26/2023
Public
Document Table of Contents

5.1.6. Ground Bounce

As digital devices become faster, their output switching times decrease. Faster switching times cause higher transient currents in outputs as they discharge load capacitances. These higher currents, which are generated when multiple outputs of a device switch simultaneously from a logic high to a logic low, can cause a board-level phenomenon known as ground bounce.

Many factors contribute to ground bounce. Therefore, no standard test method predicts ground bounce magnitude for all possible PCB environments. Determine each condition's and each device's relative contributions to ground bounce by testing the device under these conditions: Load capacitance, socket inductance, and the number of switching outputs, which are the predominant conditions that influence the magnitude of ground bounce in programmable logic devices (PLDs).