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4.3: Planar Transmission Line Structures

  • Page ID
    41277
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    Two planar transmission line structures are shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). The reason these are so popular is that they can be mass produced. For the microstrip line in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)(a) the fabrication process begins with a dielectric sheet with solid metal layers on the top and bottom. One of these is covered with a photosensitive material, called a photoresist, exposed to a prepared pattern that defines the interconnect line network, then the photoresist is developed and the unexposed (or exposed, depending on whether the photoresist is positive or negative) metal on one side is etched away. The stripline in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)(b) is fabricated similarly to microstrip but followed by one more step in which a dielectric sheet with a ground plane only is bonded on top.

    The most important planar transmission line structures are shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\). With the homogeneous lines virtually all of the fields are in the plane transverse to the direction of propagation (i.e., the longitudinal direction). Transmission lines where the longitudinal fields are almost insignificant are referred to as supporting a TEM mode, and they are called TEM lines.

    The most important inhomogeneous lines are shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)(a–c). The main difference between the two sets of configurations (homogeneous and inhomogeneous) is the frequency-dependent variation of the EM field distributions with inhomogeneous lines. With inhomogeneous lines, the EM fields are not confined entirely to the transverse plane even if the conductors are perfect. However, they are largely confined to the transverse plane and so these lines are called quasi-TEM lines. The actual choice of structure depends on several factors, including operating frequency and the type of substrate and metallization system available. This book focuses on microstrip as it is by far the most commonly used planar transmission line.

    clipboard_e9918130bbf494dde4c21df2bca9f1618.png

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Planar transmission lines.

    clipboard_e20a9690ec6c168bbf1243ba1ba477f95.png

    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Cross sections of several homogeneous and inhomogeneous planar transmission line structures.


    This page titled 4.3: Planar Transmission Line Structures is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Michael Steer.

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