Application of Finite Element Analysis to Coplanar Waveguide

An accurate method of calculating the transmission line characteristics of coplanar waveguide is required for design considerations. In his conformal mapping approach, C.P. Wen assumed the dielectric was infinitely thick and employed a quasi-static approximation. Wen's approach was modified by taking into account the finite thickness of the substrate and the resulting calculations were very accurate. With these calculations to use as a standard, the primary investigation was shifted to applying finite element analysis in the form of two computer programs to the coplanar waveguide problem. The two programs were modified to make them compatible with one another and permit their operation on the CDC 6600 computer. A solution to Laplace's equation resulted in the production of equipotential plots which were analyzed using a field mapping technique. (Modified author abstract)