Electromagnetic analysis software

Updated April 7, 2008

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We currently have two other pages on EM analysis:

Using Sonnet for EM analysis (Sonnet Software)

Computational electromagnetics

Note to EM software suppliers... we could use your help, and you could use ours! Talk to us!

The original "inventor" of electromagnetic simulation was James Clerk Maxwell. Over one hundred years ago, Maxwell's equations provided the solution to every EM problem that man has encountered. Too bad he didn't have a computer to help him with all the calculus that is required to solve even the simplest EM problems. By the way, it was Oliver Heaviside that reduced Maxwell's many equations to four!

When you purchase or use EM software, there is a convention that tells you how many of the three primary dimensions (X, Y and Z) are considered in the analysis. (Thanks go to Josh from AWR for the definitions of 2D and 2.5D solvers, hope we got it right!)

2D implies transverse EM waves are analyzed (X and Y directions only), most typically for microstrip transmission lines. No RF currents are permitted in the Z-axis (into or out of the substrate.)

2.5D implies that RF currents are allowed in the vertical direction only, such as when a via hole is used to ground a transmission line. Sonnet (Sonnet Software product), Momentum (Agilent product), and Maxwell (Ansoft product) are examples of 2.5D solvers.

3D implies electromagnetic interactions in all directions are incorporated in the simulation. If you are an antenna designer, you can skip all the cheap stuff and go right to 3D analysis. Here's an entire Microwaves101 page devoted to this topic!

Someone recently suggested that we say good things about IMST's EMPIRE 3D solver. We've never tried it, so we can't say much about it. Perhaps someone at IMST would like to talk to us about sponsoring a page on FDTD method of 3D analysis?

Inputting a structure into EM

Quite often, the drawing part of an EM simulation package is quite frustrating to use. One way to get around this is to use AutoCAD to draw your circuit, then convert it to DXF format and import it into tools like HFSS.

Sorry that's it for now!