Experimental analysis of grounded coplanar waveguide structures based on different PCB processes with uncertainty analysis

This paper presents an experimental characterization of grounded coplanar waveguides (GCPWs) with uncertainty analysis. GCPW lines to be analyzed were fabricated using different subtractive printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing processes: panel plating method and pattern plating method. Using a modified multiline method, we have extracted the propagation constants with uncertainty propagation analysis. This considered instrumentation noise, length uncertainty, and impedance mismatch caused by variations in cross-section due to the fabrication capabilities of each manufacturing process. By reformulating the propagation constant, we obtained the attenuation per unit length and the effective relative permittivity as a function of frequencies up to 43.5 GHz with 95% confidence interval. These results showed good agreement with full-wave simulations and highlighted the differences between the PCB manufacturing processes.