Advanced Solvers

EM solver applications

Different applications require different EM modeling approaches to keep simulation times and resource requirements within reasonable limits. The correct solver to use for a job is determined based on the size of the structure to be modeled and the wavelengths of the frequencies of interest (FOI) in the structure.

When the structure is small (typically < 1/10 wavelength) next to the FOI, it can be considered as a "lumped" structure and a quasi-static analysis will suffice, which analyzes the structure both at DC and a single frequency point. This type of analysis is typical for extracting analog circuit parasitics at 10's of MHz and is also often suitable for small IC packages operating at moderate speeds.

When the structure is large, planar and regular, and frequencies are moderate (up to a few GHz), the hybrid technique decomposes the structure into planes and transmission lines, connected by vias. This approach is common for DDR analysis, where it's important to include the effects of non-ideal return paths in the interconnect model.

When frequencies are high (typically >5 GHz) and accuracy is critical, the full-wave approach is used, because it models the structure in the greatest detail and makes the fewest assumptions. This approach provides the most accurate results, but is also the most memory and compute-intensive. Parallel simulation techniques are often used to break the overall task into pieces that are run simultaneously to reduce the time required to complete the job.

HyperLynx Advanced Solvers provides all three simulation capabilities within a common framework, with the same database import and editing capabilities and with a common set of post-processing, visualization and model export tools. Once you've imported a design, you can switch solvers with the click of a button, depending on your output format and accuracy requirements.

3D electromagnetic simulation is a compute and memory-intensive task, with resource requirements that increase dramatically as structure size and modeling accuracy go up. HyperLynx Advance Solvers (HL-AS) let you scale solver performance two ways -by adding more CPU cores and by distributing large simulation runs across multiple machines. HL-AS Job Distribution (HL-AS JD) lets you split large jobs and run them in parallel across your LAN. Job Distribution includes a built-in job manager that allows HyperLynx to distribute simulation runs directly and is also compatible with popular load management systems.