Characteristics of space and surface waves in a multilayered structure (microstrip antennas)

Characteristics of space- and surface-wave fields produced by an electromagnetic source in a multilayered structure are explored. Using the integral transformation technique it is shown that the space and surface-wave modes are orthogonal along the longitudinal direction with respect to an appropriate weighting function. It is demonstrated that these properties, together with reciprocity, can be utilized to determine the amplitudes of various surface-wave modes produced by an arbitrarily shaped source. Numerical results for the space- and surface-wave power for a circular patch antenna are presented. The study may find application for millimeter-wave printed antennas where the surface waves will play an important role in determining the radiation and impedance characteristics.<
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