Can the 0.1µF Bypass Capacitors Be Eliminated?
The system will not function correctly without proper bypass capacitors. Bypass capacitors are required, because whenever the IC switches, it generates a transient current load on the power-supply and ground-return traces. In accordance with Ohm’s law, the power-supply voltage to the chip drops, and the IC’s ground pin is raised above the system ground due to these transient current effects. The transients are exacerbated by the typical series inductance of the power-supply traces, which cause magnetically induced voltages to oppose the change in current flow. This is a problem both when the current begins spiking up, and when it tries to return to its initial level. A bypass capacitor located physically close to the IC solves this problem by canceling some of the power-supply lead inductance. Of course, the energy still has to flow from the power supply to the IC, but the bypass capacitor provides a small reservoir of energy to quickly satisfy the local surge without causing significa
