FEM Analysis of Quasi-Planar Transmission Lines

The high frequency wireless communication and high-speed electronics industries are demanding increasingly more sophisticated microwave integrated circuits. Today, conventional microwave integrated circuits have used single substrate planar microstrip line or suspended and inverted microstrip lines. Present day microwave integrated circuits, however, cannot rely solely on conventional microstrip line or its derivatives. During the past five years new quasi-planar microstrip lines, known as microshields, have been proposed. Electrical properties of such lines have not been adequately studied either experimentally or theoretically. There is a strong need for such studies. This thesis aims to fill this gap for some newly emerged quasi-planar lines, using the finite element method. By implementing the incremental inductance rule, the finite element method is used for transmission line loss calculation. It is then used in estimating the effects of metal penetration in microshield transmission lines used in modern day microwave circuits. This research will help advance the art of microwave integrated circuit technology