Model of thin-film microstrip line for circuit design

An equivalent-circuit model for the thin-film microstrip line (TFMSL) is presented in this paper. Its elements are calculated using closed-form expressions and, thus, this model can easily be implemented in common circuit design tools. For typical TFMSL dimensions, it holds from DC up to the submillimeter-wave frequency range. The model is validated by comparison to electromagnetic full-wave simulation data. Typical errors of phase constant and characteristic impedance are below 2% and 3%, respectively. Regarding attenuation, deviations below 8% are found.