Efficient analysis and modelling of the radiation of microstrip lines and patch antennas by the TLM-integral equation (TLM-IE) method

A rigorous analysis of printed circuits and antennas requires a great computational effort, due to the necessity of an accurate modelling of large metallic structures, including radiating patches and Feeding lines. The computational effort increases if we have to deal with radiation phenomena in large free space regions. In this contribution we present an accurate and efficient modelling of the electromagnetic field radiated by a microstrip line and by a patch antenna. The electromagnetic analysis is performed using a hybrid method, the Transmission Line Matrix-Integral Equation (TLM-IE) method. This method combines the advantages of the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) method and the Integral Equation (IE) method, i.e. the high flexibility of the TLM method with respect to arbitrary object shapes and the effectivity of the IE method in analysing large homogeneous regions.