Mixed potential integral equation methods for multilayered structures

Electromagnetic fields created in a homogeneous medium by a known distribution of electric current are determined by integral equations involving free space Green's functions. In actual situations, however, current distributions are not known beforehand and must be determined, in such a way that the total fields satisfy the boundary conditions on the conductors. The integral equation technique was extended to treat also heterogeneous structures, in order to analyze and design multilayer printed circuits and antennas, such as the broadband strip-slot-foam-inverted patch printed antenna. Sommerfeld integrals provide Green's functions for stratified media, which are evaluated by means of specifically developed, efficient computer algorithms. Structures including coaxial or line feeds and coupling through slots can now be easily analyzed with commercially available software packages.