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Antenna Simulation Software for Design and Modeling

Antenna technology is constantly advancing to meet the growing demands of industry. Likewise, Remcom has been keeping pace in order to provide engineers with antenna simulation software that matches their processes and helps them meet their device design requirements.

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Antenna Design Simulation Workflow

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Remcom's antenna simulation software provides engineers with powerful tools to shorten development time and release products to market sooner. Users can easily execute all steps of a typical antenna simulation workflow in XFdtd:
  • Set up project properties, frequency range, and more.

  • Import 3D CAD files, PCB databases, and create or modify geometry.

  • Specify the EM properties of materials.

  • Add voltage sources or modal field distributions.

  • Apply outer boundaries.

  • Discretize the 3D CAD space into cells.

  • Associate a material with each cell edge improve accuracy via Fast Intelligent Meshing.

  • Request sensor results.

  • Examine results and view output.

  • Execute FDTD simulation.

  • Analyze matching networks and port phase combinations with superposition for beamforming via post-processing tools.

  • Parameterize the project and perform parametric analysis.

  • Customize via scripts to automate repetitive tasks.

XFdtd 3D Electromagnetic Simulation Software

Antennas are ubiquitous in today’s technology and span the spectrum from low frequency, to microwaves, to terahertz and beyond. Our XFdtd 3D Electromagnetic Simulation Software is a full-wave solver based on the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method and is well-suited for analyzing designs ranging from simple dipoles and patches to the latest mobile devices consisting of hundreds of components and multiple antennas. The advanced processing features in XFdtd are also capable of handling fifth generation cellular standards at millimeter wave frequencies that involve antenna arrays and more complex processing.

XFdtd includes full-wave, static, bio-thermal, optimization, and circuit solvers to tackle a wide variety of applications.  It also works with Remcom’s ray-tracing products to provide thorough simulation capability at the low-, middle-, and high-end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Explore XFdtd’s entire collection of unique features...

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Benefits of the FDTD Method for Antenna Simulation

While many electromagnetic simulation techniques are applied in the frequency-domain, FDTD solves Maxwell’s equations in the time domain, with EM field values being calculated progressively at discrete steps in time.  The FDTD method has several unique benefits when simulating antennas:

  • Excellent scaling performance of the method as the problem size grows

  • Broadband output provided via a single execution of the program

  • More efficient than other EM methods as the number of unknowns increases

  • Simulates a wide variety of electric and magnetic materials

  • Advancements such as XFdtd’s XACT Accurate Cell Technology® resolve complex curved surfaces, reducing simulation time while improving accuracy of extremely intricate designs.

  • Preferred method for performing EM simulations for biological effects from wireless devices [1]

  • Most efficient approach for achieving accurate results of field penetration into biological tissues

Learn more about the FDTD method...

XFdtd Antenna Simulation Applications

XFdtd Antenna Simulation Applications

Antenna engineers have long used EM software for optimizing designs virtually, reducing the expense and time of fabricating hardware prototypes while rapidly evaluating numerous device configurations. The vast simulation space covered by XFdtd encompasses all antenna designs, from basic, traditional antennas to cutting-edge, next-generation 6G devices in the terahertz range and beyond. Here are just a few examples of the wide variety of antenna applications for which XFdtd can be used:

  • 5G antenna arrays at millimeter wave frequencies

  • Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices such as smart speakers and cameras

  • Wire antennas

  • Microstrip patches

  • Horn antennas

XFdtd simulations are capable of analyzing very complex devices efficiently and are not limited by any computational barriers; projects spanning over 500 cubic wavelengths are possible.

Learn more about XFdtd’s High Performance Computing Options for EM simulations.

XFdtd Antenna Simulation Software Benefits

Straightforward Analysis Process

Sophisticated device designs can be created in XFdtd using a full-featured CAD modeler or imported files in many standard formats. Virtually all aspects of a project may be parameterized, allowing for rapid characterization of design variables. Simulated devices may be excited by an assortment of input options, such as point source voltages and currents or distributed sources including a variety of waveguide ports. Gain, efficiency, impedance, S-parameters, and dissipated power are all common output quantities that are generated. Data specific to the interaction of fields with biological tissues is also available such as Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and Power Density distributions.

Advanced Post Processing Options

State-of-the-art analysis tools must go beyond traditional results to handle the needs of IoT/Connected Home, 5G, and upcoming 6G devices. Antenna array analysis tools that can rapidly process data to define and optimize the performance of complex beamforming systems containing hundreds or more elements are essential. Understanding the full coverage of a gain pattern using advanced processing techniques like the cumulative distribution function of the effective isotropic radiated power (CDF of EIRP) is critical for antenna designers, and XFdtd meets this need. In addition, for many communication systems employing Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), including cellular base stations and WiFi hubs, the interactions between elements is crucial. The MIMO tools in XFdtd can compute quantities such as isolation and envelope cross correlation, which ensure proper operation.

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Antenna Matching Circuit Design and Optimization Included

The days of designing and tuning an antenna for a single frequency are over as current devices have to connect efficiently on multiple bands through the use of matching circuits. XFdtd has sophisticated tools available for matching circuit analysis, including the Circuit Element Optimizer (CEO), which can tune antennas for multiple bands while including the electromagnetic effects of the structure surrounding the circuit; this is especially important for cellular phone designers. More complex circuits can be included with circuit co-simulation, which runs parallel FDTD and circuit solvers together to include the effects of chip components from common manufacturers or multi-port matching networks using SPICE models. XFdtd also includes integration with the matching circuit design software Optenni Lab, which can determine the optimal matching network topology.

Reference:
1.     C95.3.2002, “Recommended Practice for Measurements and Computations with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 100kHz to 300GHz,” IEEE Standards and Coordinating Committee 28 on Non-Ionizing Radiation Hazards, April 2002.

Additional Information

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