Broadside-Coupled Microstrip Lines as Low Loss Metamaterial for Microwave Circuit Design

• Main Authors: Shaofang Gong, Xin Xu, Magnus Karlsson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi-Wiley 2019-01-01
• Series: Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/9249352

The entire microwave theory is based on Maxwell’s equations, whereas the entire electronic circuit theory is based on Kirchhoff’s electrical current and voltage laws. In this paper, we show that the traditional microwave design methodology can be simplified based on a broadside-coupled microstrip line as a low loss metamaterial. That is, Kirchhoff’s laws are still valid in the microwave spectrum for narrowband signals around various designated frequencies. The invented low loss metamaterial has been theoretically analyzed, simulated, and experimentally verified in both time and frequency domains. It is shown that the phase velocity of a sinusoidal wave propagating on the low loss metamaterial can approach infinity, resulting in time-space shrink to a singularity as seen from the propagating wave perspective.