Direct modal transition from space-wave to surface-wave leakage on microstrip lines

In this paper it is shown for the first time that a novel transition may occur for dominant ( quasi transverse electromagnetic (quasi-TEM)) leaky modes on microstrip line, between a leaky mode that leaks into the TM0 surface wave mode and one that leaks both into the surface wave and into space. The modal evolution of leaky modes as a function of frequency is studied by means of a full-wave spectral domain approach, and it is shown that such transitions occur on microstrip lines that have a critical strip width, which is relatively large. When the strip width is equal to the critical value, a transition frequency will exist at which the attenuation constant of the leaky mode drops exactly to zero and the leaky mode has a real propagation wave number exactly equal to the free-space wave number. At this frequency, the leaky mode transitions from one that leaks into only the surface wave to one that also leaks into space. In a frequency neighborhood of the transition frequency, very large spurious effects may be produced because of interference between the fundamental quasi-TEM mode and the continuous spectrum current.