Modeling the effect of hatched grounds on the radio-frequency performance of microstrip lines on flexible substrate

Abstract

Cross-hatching of PCB grounds refers to a process in which certain ground planes appear as copper lattices; regular openings are placed at regular intervals. Nowadays, the efficacy of ground hatching on rigid PCBs is minimal. However, it is becoming essential for flexible hybrid electronics. Utilizing hatched grounds for flexible applications could offer some benefits. Hatched grounds can perform dual roles, act as ground surfaces, and offer structural support. Hatched grounds are more durable for bending and stretching applications. Also, hatched grounds are desirable in terms of material conservation. In this paper, we focus on studying how hatched grounds affect the RF performance of a straight microstrip line. Simulations show that cross-hatched grounds with more than 50% filling produces good radio-frequency performance. We will study the effect hatching pattern as well as the density of the hatching on the RF performance of the microstrips. The theoretical modeling is considered in this work and fabricating aerosol jet silver ink microstrip lines on PET substrates will be considered as an extension of this work.