Microstrip structures with behavior of left-handed materials

New multilayer microstrip structures are investigated in microwave range. Due to the use of stepped impedance resonators (SIR), the multilayer microstrip left-handed transmission lines are more compact than the structures with conventional split ring resonators. The amplitude and phase responses are analyzed for different geometrical parameters, number of cells and dielectric constants of the substrates. It is shown that the investigated structures exhibit left-handed properties in a frequency range near the SIR resonance.