Patent ID: 8295058

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a plurality of signaling planes having signal pathways therein; an internal reference plane having either a voltage or a ground connection, the internal reference plane being positioned between at least two of the signaling planes; a signal blind/buried via coupling a signal pathway of a first signaling plane, of the at least two signaling planes, with a signal pathway of a second signaling plane, of the at least two signaling planes, the signal blind/buried via running through the internal reference plane; an outer reference plane positioned on an opposite side of a signal plane from a side of the signal plane adjacent the internal reference plane; and a conductive feature in the first signaling plane, the conductive feature being in close proximity to the signal blind/buried via, wherein the conductive feature is positioned such that a dielectric distance between the outer reference plane and the internal reference plane is reduced, wherein the conductive feature increases a capacitive coupling of a current in the internal reference plane with a current in the outer reference plane, without an ohmic connection between the internal reference plane and the outer reference plane, and wherein the conductive feature is not ohmically coupled to the signal pathways of the at least two signaling planes.