Microstrip Transmission Lines

Microstrip lines belong to a group of lines known as parallel-plate

transmission lines. Microstrips are used for circuit components such
as filters, couplers, resonators, and antennas.

A microstrip line consists of a single ground plane and an open strip

conductor separated by dielectric substrate as shown in Figure 1. It is
constructed by the photographic processes used for integrated circuits.

(a)
 (b)

Figure.1(a) Microstrip line (b) Cross sectional schematics of

microstrip line showing E and H pattern fields

Fig.2 Pattern of the EM field of a microstrip line.

The microstrip line will propagate a wave that, for all practical
purposes, is a TEM wave. If w is the line width and h is the substrate
thickness, an approximate value of the effective relative permittivity
εeff is given by

(1)
where εr is relative permittiveity

The characteristic impedance is given by the following approximate

formulas

(2)
The characteristic impedance of a wide strip is often low, while that
of a narrow strip is high.

For design purposes, if εr and Zo are known, the ratio w/h necessary
to achieve Zo is given by

(3)
Where

(4)

(5)
From the knowledge of εr and Zo, the phase constant and the phase
velocity of a wave propagating on the microstrip are given,
respectively, by

(6)

(7)
where c is the speed of light in a vacuum. The attenuation due to
conduction (or ohmic)
loss is (in dB/m)

(8)
where is the skin resistance of the conductor. The attenuation
due to dielectric
loss is (in dB/m)

(9)

where λ= u/f is the line wavelength and tanθ= σ/ωε is the loss
tangent of the substrate.
The total attenuation constant is the sum of the ohmic attenuation
constant dielectric attenuation constant αc that is, and the dielectric
attenuation constant αd that is,
(10)
Sometimes αd is negligible in comparison with αc. Although they
offer an advantage of flexibility and compactness, thus, microstrip
lines are not useful for long transmission because attenuation is
excessive.
The variant of Microstrip line
 Inverted Microstrip line
 Trapped inverted line Microstrip line

In inverted microstrip, the ground plane is air spaced underneath the

strip conductor of the microstrip structure oriented in inverted form
and unlike the conventional microstrip, it has no ground plane
backing the dielectrioc substrate shown in Fig.3
Fig.3Inverted microstrip line
In this structure, most of the field now lies within the air
between the strip and grounded plane. This reduces εreff and
hence increasing the guide waveguide relative to that in a
conventional microstrip operated at similar frequencies. In other
words, it means that compared to a conventional microstrip, a
wider line can be used for a prescribed characteristics
impedance allowing better design tolerance at higher frequency.

In trapped inverted microstrip shown in Fig.3 is similar to IM

expect that now the grounded plane is made into a slot or
channel shaped section effectively grounding and shielding
three planes, away from the strip conductor.. This reduces the
possibility of edge radiations and provides for inherent
suppression of some higher order mode which could otherwise
propagate in the usual inverted microstrip.
 Fig.4 Trapped inverted strip line
Slot line

Structurally, slot-line is a complementary version of the microstrip

line. The schematics of a slot line with the sketches for the electric
and magnetic fields are shown in Fig.5.

Fig.5 Schematics of slot-line showing the sketch of E and H fields

It may be observed that the magnetic field ha a component in the

direction of propagation; hence the mode of propagation is transverse
electric mode and a TEM or quasi-TEM mode like the microstrip line.
In a slot line, both the conductors (actiong as ground plane) are in one
plane and therefore shunt mounting of the components (active or
passive) across the line is very convenient. In a microstrip realization
of a higher value of characteristics impedance requires a very narrow
strips conductor width. On the contrary, higher impedance in the case
of a slot-line requires large slot widths. Since there is technological
limitation on the fabrication of very narrow conductor strips (a
microstrip has a typical characteristic impedance of 20-120Ω), higher
characteristic impedances (50-300Ω) can easily realized in slot-lines.
We can find a location (in the cross-section of the slot-line) where the
magnetic field is circularly polarized shown in Fig.5. This
characteristic is useful for the design of several ferrite components,
such as resonance, isolator, phase shifter and so on.

One disadvantage of a slot line is that its Q factor is around 100,

which is rather low compared to -250 resizable with a microstrip line

Coplanar Line (coplanar waveguide): In coplanar line all the

conductors are situated on only one surface of the dielectric subtract.
In this sense, a slot line is a form of coplanar line. But a more useful
form of coplanar line can be a coupled slot line, in which a strip of
thin metallic film is deposited on the surface of a dielectric slab with
two grounded planes running adjacent and parallel to the strip
conductor on the same side shown in Fig.6. A signal is applied to the
centre strip conductor with respect to the two grounded planes on the
either side.

Fig.6 Coplanar line (coupled slot line or coplanar waveguide,

CPW) with two grounded planes and a central strip conductor
In a coplanar-line both series and shunt mounted components can be
easily incorporated. Impedances in the range of 40-150 Ω are
realizable with a Q factor-150.