Electromagnetic Modeling On Computer Clusters

By John F. DeFord
President
Simulation Technology & Applied Research, Inc.

Introduction
Three decades ago, electromagnetic analysis was primarily done with slide rules (or expensive calculators), and field solutions could only be obtained for very simple shapes. Today, we routinely use highly sophisticated computer software and hardware to compute electromagnetic fields in complex 3D structures. Modeling has become an indispensable tool for the development of new RF and microwave hardware, and the amount of computation required for a new device is considerable.

Modern analysis software can easily tax the resources of a high-end PC or workstation. For example, using the finite-element method to solve the Maxwell equations in even relatively simple geometries can require the solution of many thousands of coupled equations. Many such solutions can be necessary for spread-spectrum information, and the resulting computer time required for calculations of this type can easily become a bottleneck in the design process.

A more fundamental issue is that problems above a certain size/complexity cannot be solved at all on a given computer without resorting to the use of a disk to maintain operating data, which dramatically slows the solution process.

In short, the speed at which a design computation can be performed and whether the problem will "fit" on the available computer(s), are both important factors in determining whether the computation will be useful in the design process.

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