As per my understanding of the question, you are looking to model slotline transmission lines using MATLAB's Antenna Toolbox. If you need structured PCB-based modelling, use “pcbStack”, and if you require more flexibility for complex geometries, use “customAntenna”.
Here is how you can approach it using “pcbStack”:
1. Define the substrate material.
substrate = dielectric('Name', 'FR4', 'EpsilonR', 4.4, 'Thickness', 1.6e-3, 'LossTangent', 0.02);
2. Create Ground Plane and Slot.
% Define the ground plane using a Polygon
groundVertices = [-20e-3, -10e-3;
20e-3, -10e-3;
20e-3, 10e-3;
-20e-3, 10e-3];
groundPlane = antenna.Polygon;
groundPlane.Vertices = groundVertices;
% Define the slot as a separate conductive layer with opposite polarity
slotVertices = [-15e-3, -0.25e-3;
15e-3, -0.25e-3;
15e-3, 0.25e-3;
-15e-3, 0.25e-3];
slot = antenna.Polygon;
slot.Vertices = slotVertices;
3. Combine the layers into a stack, specifying the feed location for simulation.
% Create the PCB stack with the ground and slot on separate layers
layers = {groundPlane, substrate, slot}; % Separate slot layer
% Define the PCB stack with feed location
pcb = pcbStack('BoardThickness', 1.6e-3, 'Layers', layers, 'FeedLocations', [0, 0, 1]);
4. Run the simulation to understand how your design performs over a range of frequencies.
% Simulate and plot S-parameters
freq = linspace(1e9, 10e9, 21);
s = sparameters(pcb, freq);
rfplot(s);
For optimum results, we need to ensure the slot is accurately positioned within the stack layers in “pcbStack” and that the feed is placed correctly.
A similar approach can be implemented using “customAntenna”, particularly for designing curved or tapered slotlines based on specific requirements.
You can check out the below documentation link for an example on setting up slotline structures using the Antenna Toolbox:
For more information, refer the below documentation links:
