Efficient analysis of planar microwave circuits with mixed-order prism vector finite macroelements

This paper introduces a new concept of a mixed‐order prism macroelement, suitable for an efficient analysis of three‐dimensional planar microwave circuits, using two‐dimensional meshes and preprocessors. The mixed‐order concept used here implies arbitrary orders of variation in different directions and differs essentially from the well‐known mixed‐order approximation that is an integral part of every Whitney element. It is the existence of a related systematic theory of higher‐order vector finite elements, previously documented, that facilitates the introduction of such a concept. The second‐ and third‐order elements, derived by this approach, are successfully applied in the analysis of planar microwave circuits, rendering the application of finite element method in such problems still a favorable option. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.