Patent ID: 8248183

Claim:
A transmission line element for a circuit board, the transmission line element comprising: a) a transmission line portion including a conductive strip, a ground plane, and a first dielectric region, the conductive strip having a first width, the first dielectric region separating the conductive strip and the ground plane by a first distance; and b) a pad portion including a conductive pad electrically coupled to the conductive strip, the conductive pad having a width greater than said first width, the pad portion further including a ground pad and a second dielectric region, the second dielectric region separating the conductive pad from the ground pad by a second distance greater than said first distance; wherein the pad portion is configured to provide an impedance characteristic generally matched with a corresponding impedance characteristic of the transmission line portion, and wherein the conductive pad is a test pad configured to provide an electrical connection for an external probe for circuit testing.