The effect of loss-tangent on laddering behavior in delay lines

Delay lines come in varying topologies such as the simple meander line or the spiral delay lines. The major characteristic of these delay lines is their introduction of a laddering behavior at the output. Such laddering behavior can render the predictability of the delay very difficult unless time-consuming full-wave simulation is used. In previous works, delay lines were considered with minimal attention to the effect of the loss tangent. In this paper we have studied the effect of loss-tangent on the laddering behavior in delay lines and found that by considering the loss-tangent of the dielectric of the host medium, the laddering behavior is no longer present, thus eliminating the possibility of over-or under shooting logic levels at the output.