Full-wave characterization and CAD of CPW type MMIC components using the UNISIM electromagnetic simulator

Following extensive efficiency and accuracy studies of direct and iterative electric field integral equation (EFIE) techniques in 1987-1989 for strip type MIC/MMIC structures, the UNISIM unified strip/CPW (coplanar waveguide) electromagnetic simulator was completed in early 1990 to cover slot and CPW type structures in addition. While first systematic numerical approaches to rigorous full-wave CPW structure characterization became available on mainframes, UNISIM is an electromagnetic tool written for use on modern desktop computers in the context of an interactive linear/nonlinear MIC/MMIC design package. Its unified strip/CPW structure simulation capabilities and its high computational efficiency are due to solving microstrip problems in terms of the unknown strip current density distribution J_s (EFIE), while treating CPW configurations in terms of the slot field E_s (dual IE). In its details, it uses advanced numerical techniques generalized and adapted to include CPW and BCPW (bridged CPW) components