Solving microstrip discontinuities by the measured equation of invariance

The measured equation of invariance (MEI) is a newly developed computational method which allows finite-difference (FD) or finite-element (FE) mesh to be terminated very closely to objects of interest. In this paper, the authors show how the MEI method may be applied to microstrip antennas and discontinuity problems. The authors demonstrate its use in general full-wave three-dimensional (3-D) microstrip problems, and give results for open-ended microstrip lines and microstrip bends.