Analysis of microstrip-like transmission lines with finite metallization thickness

The transverse modal analysis (TMA) method is used for deriving the dispersion characteristics of microstrip-like transmission lines with finite metallization thickness. Instead of using strip currents as source quantities, the aperture fields are employed for applying the Galerkin method. Numerical results show that the metallization thickness will decrease the propagation constant of both shielded microstrips and suspended strip lines. To verify the accuracy of the present method, the results are also compared with those obtained by other methods.