AN ADAPTABLE APPROACH TO THE ANALYSIS OF COPLANAR MULTICONDUCTOR SLOW-WAVE STRUCTURES USING THE METHOD OF LINES

A. G. Keent, M. I. Sobhyt

ABSTRACT

The 'Method of Lines' provides the analytical framework for the construction of algorithms
that enable a class of coplanar slow-wave structures to be analysed, with particular reference
to interconnects on MMIC's. A suite of computational routines has been constructed which
provides a high degree of flexibility, and produces results with the minimum of user intervention. This is intended to be used as a engineering design tool.

SUTMMARY
The 'Method of Lines' (MOL) has been further developed to analyse the dispersive properties of general shielded multiple asymmetric coplanar electrode structures located between
lossy isotropic dielectric layers, in which the losses arise through polarisation or conduction
effects. Perfectly conducting electrodes are assumed. As the losses may be large, perturbation methods cannot be used and the complex propagation factors must arise directly from a
full-wave hybrid-mode analysis. This implementation of MOL has few restrictions, and
allows the analysis of structures with arbitrary numbers of asymmetrc coplanar electrodes
and multiple lossy dielectric layers. Attenuation and slow-wave factors, electrode
impedances and equivalent lossy TEM transmission line parameters for all the dominant
modes of propagation may be calculated. These may be produced either as functions of frequency for fixed dielectric conductivities or as functions of a dielectric conductivity for fixed
frequency.
METHOD

The hybrid-mode analysis uses a linear combination of TEy and TMy fields, Sherill and
Alexopoulos [1]. Hertzian potentials JI (x,y) and II(x,y) are defined within the i th. dielectric layer as

lI.h(xIy) = piF,h(x,y)e1Z

(1)

where y= cx+jp is the complex propagation factor. The electric and magnetic potentials Fp,h
satisfy the Helmholtz equations

&2Fp,h

1a2

a2FP,h

+ a r2

+ko2(4i-4_) Flth = 0

t Electronic Engineering Laboratories, Tle University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NT, UK.

1340

(2)

The complex effective permitvity is 6e = - kot1 and the complex relative permittivity of
the i th. dielectric layer is .j = i' -j(rii"tI+i(Wxo)-'), for i-1 , s,NLE 2.
A finite difference scheme with non-equidistant line spacing, as reported in Keen et. al. [2],
is implemented, wit Dirichlet boundary conditions in x on Fe and Neumann conditions on
Fp. Equations (2) are consequently nornalised, (due to unequal line spacing), and
transformed, (by virtue of the finite difference scheme chosen), producing a system of uncoupled differential equations for the components of what are now transformed normalised electric and magnetic potential vectors, V4N(y) and 44(y) respectively. If the coplanar electrodes
are located at the dielectric imterfac? specifiedyb y = YNB, then imposing continuity conditions on the tangential electromagnetic field components at the dielectric interfaces for which
Y*YN3 allows the construction of transformed normalised potentials 'i and C4N at these
dielectric interfaces, for i=l,...,NL-l, with i.NB, which are themselves continuous. Each
interface potential obeys a recurrence relation, as in the quasi-TEM MOL analysis in [2].
This property allows the components of the transforned normalised tangential electric field,
Et,NB, and the components of the transformed normalised electrode current density, JNB, at
the interface at y = YNB to be expressed in tenns of the potentials there, jB and 4i41. Elim
nation of these interface potentials gives

ENB =A[ZN(e,o())I]tB

(3)

Inverting the transformations and performing the usual reduction process yields the complex
eigenvalue problem

[ZN (Se, C) ]red JN, P

(4)

For non-trivial solutions

(5)

det[ ZN (se ,W0) ]red = 0

must be solved. For Ns electrodes it is necessary to look for Ns dominant mode roots of
equation (5), e i for i=l,...,Ns, in the complex plane with Re(ee) .0 and IM(se) <0. This is
achieved without any initial guesswork by searching for roots in the following stages:

(1) Establish Ns roots on the real axis for low frequency and no losses.
(2) Then incrementally increase the loss tangents and conductivities from zero to their
specified values and follow the Ns roots into the complex plane.
(3) Then incrementally increase the frequency from its low value im (1), following the
roots, starting from their values in stage (2), to produce results within the desired
frequency range.

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Stage (1) uses a modified Brents root finding method, Brent R. P. [3], while stages (2)
and (3) rely on the complex Newton-Raphson method, with calculated derivative, and
det[ ZN (Sec, O ) ]r modified, as each root is found, to avoid finding the same root again.
This scheme gives each 6ei as a function of frequency for fixed structural parameters. If
the SEj are required at a fixed frequency but as functions of the conductivity of the i th.
dielectric layer in the range [ Oi,min , Ci,max ], then the previous 3 stages are performed
with (Yi = ai,min, and the frequency increased to the required value. Then a 4 th. stage is
performed where

(4) cs; is incrementally increased from Giminr to Cyi,maX, and the Ns roots from stage (3)
followed, again usig the complex Newton-Raphson method.
Complex electrode impedances as functions of frequency or conductivity may be found
using a 'partial power' definition or a reciprocity related definition, Wiemer and Jansen
[4]. Equivalent lossy TEM transmission line parameters are calculated as functions of
frequency or conductivity usig equivalent complex modal electrode voltages found from
the modal powers and electrode current distributions.
RESULTS

Consider the symmetric coupled narrow electrode structure of fig. 1.

Sr4 1, 8r4

4
04

10 mm

Fr3-'3.6 r3=1"=3 =0
n
5mm
5 gm
l.5pml.5 pm
42'-3= 9 4r2"= T2 = 0

erj`=12, r"=0,Oa1

1.2 pm

5 mm

0.6 pm
400 pm

Fig. 1 Symmetric coupled narrow electrode structure

The even and odd mode attenuation factors ci (db/mm), slow-wave factors Xg.X6 and the
real and imaginary parts of the electrode impedances, based on the partial power per electrode definition, as functions of frequencies up to 20 GHz, for a1=0.04 S/cm, are
displayed in figs. 2a to 2d respectively. Figs 3a to 3d show corresponding data where oy
varies in the approximate range [0.005, 1000] S/cm for frequencies of 1 GHz, 10 GHz
and 20 GHz.

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I(c/os) vs. FrquenCY UGz)

10

ml

Ear
la

vs.

Frequency (6Hz)

reMDk MiL-

0,5

Om

Slow Wave Factor

0.5

Even
Od

--

d -

5 0.35
1

I*

-.

u 0.3
"

0,3

et

o 0.2

0.15

0.1
0.OS

is -.

-.

300 .

rode
Om

25a

and odd modes vs. frequency

(GHz), where ol=0.04.

(Electrode mpedaxcesi (Iis) vs. Freqenrg(6Hz)

Frcq.nq (6Hz)

a
Evn

Osd

ww

laI

Fig. 2b Slow-wave factors of even

Fig. 2a Attenuation of even and

odd modes (db/mm) vs. frequency
(GHz), where ol=0.04.
vs.

.I

Fr,tpcy (F51

Frsqmc (I*1

Re(Electrode lrpedamces) (Uns)

I.

its

is

P 200
d

I~

7 150
0ISO

60

50

40

0
h

30

* 100
20
50

-__10

oI
Lo

II
-a

I
I I I
II
I|

it1s
FruqAc0

It

Le -I

it

Fr""w

19*)

10

If*J

Fig. 2d Imaginary parts of even and

odd mode electrode impedances
(Ohms) vs. frequency (GHz), where

Fig. 2c Real pans of even and odd

impedances
electrode
mode
(Ohms) vs. frequency (GHz), where
aY=0.04.

01=0.04.

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rSlow Wave Factor vs. Conrcbtivity (S/cm)

*0 Atteauotion Factcr (dt/rn) vs. Caxnxtivity (S/cm)

'.s
A S%
A

rEaI

t1
o

'J,S

h
/

r 0.2

la.

0ixi

Io
10
le -1-4

-6

lo

0.

F
*04

/0.1

14111

I I

I*'

itill

a'e

1s

11

.1

11

1it

10 I

lo

as -

is-

CuxtivCtC(Stci

a1

itIs

CwdxtCditC IS/sd

Fig. 3b Slow-wave factors of even

and odd modes vs. conductivity a,
(S/cm) at frequencies of I GHz, 10
GHz and 20 GHz.

Fig. 3a Attenuation of even and

odd modes (db/mm) vs. conductivity a1 (S/cm) at frequencies of 1
GHz, 10 GHz and 20 GHz.

:lWedaces

(Gus) vs. CatxtivItH (S/cal

Be

Ev'

2S*

Od

--

Z2
n

150

o ot
I Sb

20

10

aS-a0

igs5t
-

50
-4

s0~~~~~Cstvt
t;l CS1^eC
4

it'

tS

1o

Cststivlit (Ysd)

Fig. 3d Imaginary parts of even and

odd mode electrode impedances
(Ohms) vs. conductivity a1 (S/cm)
at frequencies of 1 GHz, 10 GHz
and 20 GHz.

Fig. 3c Real parts of even and odd

impedances
electrode
mode
(Ohms) vs. conductivity a1 (S/cm)
at frequencies of 1 GHz, 10 GHz
and 20 GHz.

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The attenuation factor of the even mode is larger than tat of the odd mode by about a
factor of 10 throughout the frequency range considered where a1l=0.04. This has been
observed experimentally to cause unexpected and unwanted odd mode coupling in a
similar lossy structure. Fig. 3a shows much larger differences appearing between the
even and odd mode attenuation factors as the conductivity al is varied, especially at the
lower frequencies, and could have significant bearing on the design of such components.
CONCLUSION
MOL has been shown to be capable of analysing coplanar electrode slow-wave structures
by including the loss mechanisms in a hybrid-mode analysis. In particular, although the
results shown here deal with a symmetric two electrode structure, results can be generated for structures with multiple asymmetric electrodes and multiple lossy (semiconducting) dielectric layers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Dr. A. J. Holden and Dr. R. G. Amold of Plessey
Research (Caswell) Ltd. for many useful discussions. This work has been funded by an
SERC collaborative award.

REFERENCES

[1] Sherrill B.M. and Alexopoulos N.G.

"The Method of Lines Applied to a Finline/Strip Configuration on an Anisotropic
Substrate"
1987 IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn., Vol. MTT-35, pp.568-575
[2] Keen A.G., Wale MiJ., Sobhy M.I. and Holden AJ.
"Quasi-Static Analysis of Electro-Optic Modulators by the Method of Lines"
1990 IEEE J. Lightwave Technology, Vol. 8, pp.42-50
[3] Brent R.P.
"Algorithms for Minimisation Without Derivatives"
Englewood Cliffs. N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Chs. 3-4
[4] Wiemer L. and Jansen R.H.
"Reciprocity Related Definition of Strip Characteristic Impedance for Multiconductor Hybrid-Mode Transmission Lines"
1988 Microwave and Optical Tech. Lett., Vol 1, pp.22-25

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