Ground Plane

A ground plane is a large conductive area on a printed circuit board (PCB) that serves as a common reference point for electrical circuits, typically connected to the circuit's ground potential. It provides a low-impedance return path for electrical current, reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI), and helps maintain signal integrity by minimizing noise and crosstalk between circuit traces. Ground planes are usually implemented as solid copper areas on one or more layers of a multi-layer PCB, offering better performance than using individual ground traces.