PCB design glossary
Ground Plane
AKA: gnd plane, ground pour
A large copper area on a PCB layer dedicated to the ground net — improves return paths and EMI.
A ground plane is a copper pour on one or more PCB layers that's connected to GND. It provides a low-impedance return path for every signal on the board and dramatically improves EMI behavior.
On 2-layer boards a partial ground pour is common. On 4-layer boards a dedicated inner ground layer is standard practice and considered essential for any high-speed or sensitive analog design.
Designing a board that uses ground plane?
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