An efficient algorithm for the parameter extraction of multiconductor transmission lines in multilayer dielectric media

The electrical characteristics of multilayer dielectric and multiconductor transmission line systems are becoming more important factors dominating the behavior of microwave integrated circuits (MIC) and very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits. This has increased the interest in efficient methods for parameter extraction. The domain decomposition method (DDM) is used to calculate the capacitance and inductance matrices of multilayered multiconductor lines of arbitrary cross section. The method of lines (MoL) is well suited to planar multilayered structures, and the finite-difference method (FDM) is a flexible and efficient method for multiple conductors of arbitrary cross section. MoL, combined with FDM, is used to calculate the capacitance and inductance matrices of the system. The subregion with pure dielectric layers is analyzed by MoL, while the subregion with conductors is analyzed by FDM. Numerical results show that the algorithm is efficient, and the computing time and memory needs are unrelated to the thickness of the pure dielectric layers.