THEORETICAL MODELING OF CAVITY-BACKED PATCH ANTENNAS USING A HYBRID TECHNIQUE

A hybrid technique that combines the method of moments (MoM) and the finite element method (FEM) to analyze cavity-backed patch antennas is presented in this paper, This technique features the use of FEM in solving the electromagnetic field distribution in the cavity and the use of MoM in solving integral equations outside the cavity. The results of MoM and FEM are combined through the continuity conditions on the boundary of the cavity, Due to the flexibility of FEM, complex cavities filled with inhomogeneous media can be analyzed by this technique. Results obtained by this hybrid technique are compared to Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) results and good agreement is found.