HFSS Tutorial 4: 20-dB Microstrip

Coupled Line
Goal: design a 20-dB microstrip coupled line operating at 2.42 Ghz.
substrate thickness 1.6 mm and .

Lessons learned:
Wave port of microstrip lines.
Wave port with 2 modes.
Even-odd mode analysis.
Wf

Lf Lc
Wc
By S

Bx

Initial size: , , , .
1. First, verify the microstrip line. Insert a New Design. Rename it
to 50 Ohm Line.
Project->Insert HFSS Design
2. Save it as tutorial4
File->Save as
3. First we want to determine the adequate port size. From the
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 guideline of HFSS, make the port size .
4. Create two rectangular boxes with the following parameters.
a. Substrate: size ( ), position
( ).
b. Air: size ( ), position ( ).
Draw->Box
5. Create three rectangular sheets with the following parameters.
a. Feedline: size ( ), position ( ).
b. Gound: size ( ), position ( ).
c. Port: size ( ), position
( ). Set
6. Assign Perfect-E Boundary to the feedline and ground.
7. Assign Wave Port to the port surface.
8. Add two solve-port-only simulation. One with Maximum Delta
set to 2% and one with 0.1%.
Analysis->Add Solution Setup
9. Add Interpolation Sweep from 1 GHz to 3 GHz. Step size 0.01.
Setup1->Add Frequency Sweep
10. Perform simulation. Check the mode field to see if it is the right
mode. Check the mesh too.
Sweep->Analyze
11. Plot the propagation constant and . Check the convergence. It
appears that Maximum Delta must set to 0.1% to get
better .
12. Add Parametric Sweep for .
Optimetrics->Add->Parametric
Plot the propagation constant and . Use n as te sweep
variable. It can be seen that convergence is reached after .
13. Second, design the coupled line. Create the first part of the
coupled line by modifying the size and position of the feedline..

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 Size: ( ), position ( ).
14. Use duplicate to reproduce the second part.
Edit->Duplicate->Along Line
Set Total Number to 2. Set Vector to ( ).
15. Set the second line to PEC.
16. To simplify, set the port size to the whole cross section and the
mode number to 2.
17. Change Maximum Delta back to 2% and perform
simulation. Check the two mode fields to see if it is the right
modes.
Sweep->Analyze
18. Plot the and . Compare with expected values. Check the
mesh. Note that, and . The
resulting value is different from expected.
19. Add a symmetrical plane at the center of the coupled line. Size:
( ), position ( ). Compare the resulting mesh and
impedance to previous result.
20. Change Maximum Delta to 0.1% and compare the result.
21. Set up an optimization of variables and .
Project->Project Variables->Optimization
22. Create an optimization and analyze it.
Optimetrics->Add->Optimization
Set optimization goal to be and at
2.42 GHz (create a single point analysis).
23. The optimization fail. Select the best result as the start value
and perform the optimization again.
24. A better result is reached which is and .
Perform a frequency sweep to verify the and . Also plot
and . Find the average propagation constant at 2.42
GHz. The result is 73.72. Store it to a variable .
25. Next, we are going to create the other parts of the coupler. First,
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 set . Then, adjust the size of the substrate and air by
setting and . Also set
to reduce computation cost.
26. Create the first feedline.
Size ( ), position ( ).
27. Use duplicate to reproduce the second line.
Edit->Duplicate->Along Line
Set Total Number to 2. Set Vector to ( ).
28. Use duplicate again to reproduce the third and forth lines. Select
the first and second lines.
Edit->Duplicate->Along Line
Set Total Number to 2. Set Vector to ( ).
29. Use line to form the triangle connecting the coupled line and the
first feedline.
Draw->Line
Set the position of the three points to ( ),
( ), ( ).
30. Use duplicate and mirror to reproduce the second triangle.
Edit->Duplicate->Mirror
Set Normal Position to ( ).
31. Select the two triangles and use duplicate and mirror to
reproduce the third and fourth triangles.
Edit->Duplicate->Mirror
Set Normal Position to ( ).
32. Set the port 1 size and position to
Size: ( ). x-directed.
Position ( ).
33. Use duplicate to reproduce the second port.
Edit->Duplicate->Along Line
Set Total Number to 2. Set Vector to ( ).
34. Use duplicate again to reproduce the third and forth ports.

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 Select the first and second ports.
Edit->Duplicate->Along Line
Set Total Number to 2. Set Vector to ( ).
35. Assign PEC boundary to the lines.
36. Assign wave port to all ports. Set de-embed length to .
37. Perform a frequency sweep. Plot the S-parameters and
to verify the results. Check the four port field to
make sure they are in correct alignment.
S Parameter
10.00 Curve Info

dB(S(1,1))
Setup1 : Sweep
dB(S(1,2))
-0.00 Setup1 : Sweep
dB(S(1,3))
Setup1 : Sweep
-10.00 dB(S(1,4))
Setup1 : Sweep
dB

-20.00

-30.00

-40.00

-50.00
1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00
Freq [GHz]

S Parameter_1
-86.25
ang_deg(S(1,2))-ang_deg(S(1,4)) [deg]

Curve Info

ang_deg(S(1,2))-ang_deg(S(1,4))
Setup1 : Sweep
-87.50

-88.75

-90.00
1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00
Freq [GHz]

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