generally at 300 a stacked microstrip line 305 and slotline configuration 310 of one embodiment of the present invention the parallel stacked microstrip lines 305 couple by way of magnetic field lines encircling both strips similarly parallel stacked slotlines 310 couple by way of electric field lines encircling both slots in the case of a conducting strip crossing over a slotline 320 in the ground plane the slotline blocks the ground plane currents generated by the transverse electromagnetic tem wave propagating along the microstrip line this creates a charge build up across the slotline which launches a tem wave propagating in both directions along the slotline this form of slot strip coupling is very strong and is widely used in microwave circuits a stacked pair of reduced size patches of similar shape creates conditions similar to the parallel coupled microstrip or slotlines which explains why the coupling is weak turning now to fig3 a at 301 shows two variations of an embodiment of the present invention where electromagnetic coupling in slot strip coupling regions 311 between two stacked patches upper patch 303 and lower patch 307 are increased greatly due to the fact that strip like parts 302 of one patch lower patch 307 in this exemplary embodiment cross over slot like parts 304 of the other patch upper patch.