FULL-WAVE CONVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF MICROSTRIP TRANSMISSION PARAMETERS

Full-wave electromagnetic simulators have enabled microwave designers to simulate complex geometries which sometimes cannot be done by conventional computer-aided design (CAD) nodal simulators. However, designers should pay close attention to how the numerical implementation of the full-wave analysis can affect the results of the electromagnetic simulation. This study uses various modeling parameters to determine the convergence of a GaAs microstrip's simulated transmission line characteristics. A commercially available program, Sonnet's ''EM,'' was used for the analysis but the results can be generalized for any full-wave analysis. This article explores the limits of Sonnet as well as showing that a designer must use a convergence analysis to prove the validity of an electromagnetic simulation. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.