Characterizing microwave planar circuits using the coupled finite-boundary element method

A general approach is presented for the analysis of microwave planar circuits. The technique is particularly well suited to the analysis of circuits with complicated geometries and dielectric loads. The proposed technique is a hybrid, consisting of an amalgamation of the finite element and the boundary element techniques. The new technique can handle problems with mixed electric and magnetic walls, as well as complicated dielectric loads, such as those composed of ferrite materials. Computed and measured data for various complicated devices are compared, showing excellent agreement.