Numerical challenges in the modeling of metamaterials and antenna-EBG composites

The objective of this paper is to present numerous examples of metamaterials, artificial dielectrics and related structures (e.g. antennas utilizing these materials) that provide considerable challenges when one attempts to simulate them using the CEM tools. Although they are not large in terms of the wavelength, these structures often have fine features and, hence, they require a discretization with a very small cell size. Furthermore, the multilayer nature of many packages also serves to exacerbate the problems of large CPU memory and time. The inhomogeneous nature of the structure precludes the use of the MoM, except when the conductors are thin, the dielectric materials are planar and layered, and the truncation effects are negligible enough to allow us to assume that the layers are infinite in extent.