An accurate and versatile computer- based testbed for designing printed-circuit antennas and arrays will be developed. The testbed will include pre- and post- processing tasks, e.g. specifying geometries, varying geometrical parameters for a given design, display of simulation results. Furthermore, appropriate databases will be utilized for design sensitivity analysis. The goal of phase I will be to demonstrate the viability of the integrated, user-friendly front-end or the graphical user interface. By linking the interface to an existing analysis routine for a single-layer microstrip, sensitivity studies will be exploited. In Phase II, the testbed will be expanded to include new analysis with more efficient algorithms for complex structures and a capability to cut masks using standard plotters.
