A comparative study of two time-domain simulation algorithms for lossy and dispersive transmission lines

Two general discrete time-domain transient analysis algorithms for the modeling of lossy and dispersive transmission lines are reviewed and compared. The first is based on the generalized method of characteristics through recursive convolution while the second is based on the more recent Pade macromodeling approach using synthesized lumped networks. The different approximations made in these two algorithms are compared and computational evidence is presented to show that these two methods complement rather than compete with each other.