A functional module comparison of the interconnected mesh power system (IMPS) with a standard four-layer MCM topology

The Interconnected Mesh Power System (IMPS) has been developed to reduce a conventional four-layer MCM-D structure to only a two-layer structure. IMPS uses interconnected, meshed power and ground planes to replace the solid power and ground planes found in a standard four-layer topology. A prototype of each topology has been produced using the M040 MCM design as a test vehicle, which consists of a Motorola MC68040 microprocessor and four IDT 7006 dual-port SRAMs. This paper will present results of the comparison between the standard four-layer and IMPS versions of the MO40 MCM. Results are based on tests performed on the MCMs, which include a functionality test of both the processor and memory as well as electrical measurements on each version of the M040 MCM. These tests indicate comparable performance between the four layer substrate and the IMPS substrate costing half as much.