An algorithm for fast frequency sweep of planar microwave circuits

This paper presents an efficient approach for computing the response of microstrip circuits over a range of frequencies. Computational efficiency is achieved by first constructing the solutions for the current distributions by using the Characteristic Basis Function Method (CBFM) at a few frequency points within the desired band, and then re-using them as independent macro-basis functions at other frequencies within the desired range. Numerical results for a microstrip array, derived by using the direct and CBFM approaches, are included to illustrate the accuracy of the proposed approach.