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SEMCAD ++ EM Simulation Platform
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The overall objective of the SEMCAD project is the development and advancement of a high-end electromagnetic (EM) simulation platform for near-field analysis in complex environments. It shall serve two goals, namely, to support and accelarate the research activities of IIS/IT'IS in the electromagnetics field and to advance the development of TCAD tools of our commercial partners in the area of antenna design, EMC/EMI and EM simulations at the chip level.

The SEMCAD environment is equipped with an advanced and user friendly GUI based on the state-of-the-art ACIS 3D modeling toolkit. Its combination with a fully automated non-uniform grid generator greatly enhances modeling capabilities for FDTD. Furthermore, the simulation platform integrates interfaces for data import and export (CAD, MRI, measurement data). The kernel enables a 3D EM full-wave FDTD formulation and supports beside of the standard implementations various enhanced features.

The initial version of the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) kernel used in SEMCAD has been developed in a joint R&D project between IIS and IT'IS in cooperation with several industry partners and was supported by the Swiss Priority Program MINAST. The project SEMCAD ++ focuses now on enhanced computational performance and modeling capabilities, improved accuracy of the scheme as well as uncertainty prediction for its main applications, namely near-field analysis, antennas embedded in complex environments, EMC/EMI applications and dosimetry. These are:

  • Subcell Modeling:
    Development of a novel locally adapted 3D subcell model to extend the conventional FDTD grid conformal modeling of wire antennas and PEC structures to arbitrarily oriented PEC geometries.This enables a much improved representation compared to common staircase modeling.
  • Novel Robust Subgridding algorithm:
    Develoment and implementation of a 3D FDTD subgrid scheme based on a novel temporal and spatial updating providing very low reflections and a high stability.
  • Improved Updating Algorithm:
    Analysis and development of a modified FDTD update-coefficients in order to reduce propagation distortions caused by arbitrarily graded meshes.
  • Material Boundary Modeling:
    Reduction of numerical errors at material boundaries.
  • Thermal Solver:
    Integration of an accurate heat transfer equation (HTE) solver enables coupled or sequent simulations of thermal and electromagnetic effects including improved convection model at material boundaries.
  • Quasi-Static Solver:
    Implementation of a quasi-static solver in order to increase the application range of the platform.
  • Enhanced Modeling Capability:
    Improved interfaces for CAD data import, support for fast translation of MRI data into 3D models and optimized modeling of antenna feedpoint structures.
This project is funded by KTI (Commission for Technology and Innovation), IT'IS, SPEAG and Synopsys Switzerland Ltd..
Material assignment for complex inhomogeneous bodies visualized within the SEMCAD environment. The high resolution human head model is based on MRI scans and consists of 13 different tissues.
Arrangement of a helical antenna located in a subgridded region (SEMCAD platform). The subgrid impllementation enables a discretization of detailed structures with locally increased resolution.

Last change:  6 September 2005    Author:  Nicolas Chavannes