In
electrical engineering, a
ground plane is an electrically
conductive surface, usually connected to electrical
ground. The term has two different meanings in separate areas of electrical engineering. In
antenna theory, a ground plane is a conducting surface large in comparison to the
wavelength, such as the Earth, which is connected to the
transmitter's ground wire and serves as a reflecting surface for
radio waves. In
printed circuit boards, a ground plane is a large area of copper foil on the board which is connected to the power supply
ground terminal and serves as a return path for current from different components on the board.