Computational Electromagnetics:

The Finite-Difference Time-Domain

Stephen Gedney
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of Kentucky

EE624

Fall 2010
Copyright, Stephen Gedney
EE-624 S. Gedney
Computational Electromagnetics via
The Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method
FDTD is One of the Most Popular Computational Techniques of Current Date for
Simulation of Electromagnetic Phenomona

Based on 2nd Order Accurate Central Difference Approximations in Space and

Time of Maxwell's Eqns.

Provides a Direct Solution of Time-Dependent EM Fields in a Volumetric Region

- Explicit solution technique
Never requires a matrix update
Fully recursive update scheme

Advantages over Moment Method or Finite Element Method:

- Inhomogeneous Media is Inherently Modeled
- Lossy, Non-Linear and Anisotropic Media Supported
- Boundary Conditions are Inherently Represented
- Broad Band Response Obtained with Single Simulations
- Robustness and Ease of Implementation
- Much Broader Range of Direct Applicability

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-2

EE-624 S. Gedney
Some Disadvantages:
- Accuracy
- The standard Yee-algorithm is second order accurate
- Error is generally dispersive
- Error accumulates as the wave propagates through the mesh
- Large problems require finer meshing!

- Computationally Intensive
- requires 3D orthogonal gridding
- staircase approximation of curved surfaces
- Time stepping is a function of the grid dimension
- smallest detail in the geometry can thus determine grid size (Yee-algorithm)
and
the time step

http://www.remcom.com/xf7-xact/

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-3

EE-624 S. Gedney

Application areas of FDTD:

- EM Scattering
- Antenna modeling & Design
- EMC
- Microwave Circuits
- Non-linear device modeling
- Geo-sensing
- Photonic device modeling
- Optical gratings, periodic structures

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-4

EE-624 S. Gedney
Commercial Solvers
There are nearly 30 commercially available CAD software tools with FDTD
engines:
o CST Microwave Studio
o Remcon XFdtd
o eField
o SEMCAD X
o Electromagnetic Applications, Inc.
o Optiwave (Opti FDTD)
o Zeland Fidelity
o Acceleware, Inc.
o Agilent EMPro
o EM Photonics (FastFDTD, EMPLab, and OptiFDTD Max)
o Vector Fields Quickwave
o Cray LC
o Etc.
Free-ware FDTD codes
o ToyFDTD
o Sfdtd (Simple FDTD)
o WOLFSIM (2D FDTD optical applications)
o FDTD Studio

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-5

EE-624 S. Gedney

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-6

EE-624 S. Gedney

[http://www.cst.com/Content/Applications/Article/Simulation+of+Mobile+Phone+Antenna+Performance]

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-7

EE-624 S. Gedney

[http://www.cst.com/Content/Applications/Article/Simulation+of+Mobile+Phone+Antenna+Performance]

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-8

EE-624 S. Gedney
Balanced Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (REMCOM X-FDTD)
Source: http://www.remcom.com/examples/vivaldi-antenna-geometry.html

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-9

EE-624 S. Gedney

http://www.optiwave.com/products/gallery/optifdtd/surface_plasmon.html

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-10

EE-624 S. Gedney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-6l0bvAda0

Introduction University of Kentucky 1-11