Remcom announces an update to XFdtd 3D EM Simulation Software, with new features to address 5G millimeter wave antenna design challenges including support for high-performance tuners and singularity correction. In addition, printed circuit board (PCB) import enhancements save time in the design workflow.

As mobile devices continue to grow in complexity, engineers are challenged to include more antennas in less available space within the device while maximizing efficiency. Multi-port radio frequency (RF) devices such as tuners and switches can be utilized to optimize band coverage. To accommodate these innovations, XFdtd’s Circuit Element Optimizer (CEO) now includes multi-port device functionality, enabling engineers to incorporate and test these components in their matching network simulations.

Singularity correction in XFdtd. Source: Remcom

Singularity correction is a sophisticated meshing method that accurately captures highly varying electromagnetic fields around the conductive edges of geometries such as antennas or transmission lines. XFdtd adjusts the electric and magnetic field values adjacent to metallic edges during time stepping. For higher frequency and millimeter wave use cases, where numerous antennas and components create high spatial variation of fields, singularity correction can significantly improve accuracy and strengthen confidence in the expected behavior of a device.

The new XFdtd release also includes enhancements to PCB import, allowing documentation layers of a PCB to be imported alongside the geometry. These layers typically include useful manufacturer information such as the build date of the device, ID number and more. Lastly, lumped circuit components specified in ODB++ and BRD files are also imported, eliminating the need to manually add them afterwards.