Self adaptive mesh scheme for the finite element analysis of anisotropic multiconductor transmission-lines

A self-adaptive mesh algorithm for transmission-line finite-element method (FEM) analysis is presented. This algorithm leads to an easy-to-use automatic FEM program in which the mesh corresponding to the domain discretization, necessary for the FEM application, is automatically well adapted to the structure under study, taking into account not only its geometry and materials but also field behavior and singularities. The method is based on the calculation of the error of the gradient conjugate solution of the structure FEM approach with a given coarse mesh. The error analysis gives information about the need to refine the grid, and about which elements must be subdivided. The application of the proposed method to several anisotropic substrate microstrip-line structures is shown.<<ETX>>