Jaggernaut: Development of an Efficient CAD System for the Simulation of Impedance, Radiation and Scattering Characteristics of Arbitrary Printed An

We propose to develop a user-friendly, unified simulation tool (nicknamed JUGGERNAUT) for the characterization of impedance, radiation, as well as plane-wave scattering characteristics of multilayered printed antennas and arrays with arbitrary feed arrangements. In distinct contrast to the existing full-scale EM simulation tools commercially available, which in principle can also perform the similar task, JUGGERNAUT will use a significantly fast algorithm (a hybrid numerical-analytical technique) developed by us specifically optimized for printed antenna elements. This would allow fast design iterations of complex printed geometries, which otherwise difficult or impossible to achieve using the common full-scale EM simulation tools. Further, instead of modeling a large integrated structure by a full-scale EM simulation tool, which unnecessarily takes large computation time, JUGGERNAUT will use an efficient circuit-EM based simulation approach. In this approach, the large integrated structure will be intelligently decomposed into smaller elements, which will be separately modeled using EM methods optimized for the specific type of element. The element results are finally connected together via simple circuit principles in order to obtain the characteristics of the total structure. Other important features of JUGGERNAUT will include a versatile, user-friendly graphical interface, the simulation of isolated elements as well as infinite periodic arrays, accurate modeling of the dielectric, metal as well as surface-wave loses using a fast technique, modeling of plane-wave scattering characteristics of the antenna for radar cross-section studies, among many others.