Modeling and characterization of multiple coupled lines

A configuration-oriented circuit model for multiple coupled lines in an inhomogeneous medium is developed and presented in this thesis. This circuit model consists of a network of uncoupled transmission lines and is readily modeled with simulation tools like LIBRA(c) and SPICE (c). It provides an equivalent circuit representation which is simple and topologically meaningful as compared to the model based on modal decomposition. The configuration-oriented model is derived by decomposing the immittance matrices associated with an n coupled line 2n-port system. Time- and frequency-domain simulations of typical coupled line multiports are included to exemplify the utility of the model. The model is useful for the simulation and design of general single and multilayer coupled line components, such as filters and couplers, and for the investigation of signal integrity issues including crosstalk in interconnects associated with high speed digital and mixed signal electronic modules and packages.; It is shown that multiconductor lossless structures in an inhomogeneous medium can be characterized by multiport time-domain reflection (MR) measurements. A synthesis technique of an equivalent lossless (non-dispersive) uniform multiconductor n coupled lines (UMCL) 2n-port system from the measured discrete time-domain reflection response is presented. This procedure is based on the decomposition of the characteristic immittance matrices of the UMCL in terms of partial mode immittance matrices. The decomposition scheme leads to the discrete transition matrix function of a UMCL 2n-port system. This in turn establishes a relationship between the normal-mode parameters of the UMCL and the measured impulse reflection and transmission response. Equivalence between the synthesis procedure presented in this thesis and the solution of a special form of an algebraic Riccati matrix equation whose solution can lead to the normal-mode parameters and a real termination network is illustrated. In order to demonstrate the procedure, a typical microstrip structure with three lines is synthesized from the time-domain reflection (TDR) data.; In order to compliment known field theoretic techniques for characterization of multiconductor structures a network analog method is employed to solve the magnetic vector potential equation to characterize multilayer Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (NGS) transmission line structures. This approach leads to the frequency dependent distributed inductance and the resistance matrices of a multilayer MIS transmission line structure. It is shown that the frequency dependent transmission line parameters can be modeled by an efficient quasi-static formulation for all propagating modes including the slow-wave and skin-effect modes. To demonstrate the proposed approach for single and multilevel structures, the frequency dependent distributed inductance and resistance matrices corresponding to the propagating modes classified as the slow-wave and skin-effect modes are calculated and validated by comparison with full-wave solutions.