An equivalent circuit model for arbitrarily-shaped metallisation areas on printed circuit boards

The author describes an equivalent circuit model which has been developed to predict the electrical behaviour of large or irregularly shaped areas of metallisation on printed circuit boards. An understanding of the behaviour of such areas can be vital in achieving successful implementation of RF circuit designs. The underlying theory for the model is described briefly, and steps taken to ensure the efficiency of the implementation are mentioned. The method of subdivision of these areas into a set of rectangular and triangular patches is detailed, and it is shown how these are associated with components in the equivalent circuit. Results are presented to show the accuracy which can be achieved with this model, and the usefulness of the results in gaining an understanding of the behaviour of these areas