3D Full-wave Electromagnetic Field Simulation

HFSS improves engineering productivity, reduces development time, and better assures first-pass design success. HFSS v11 can solve complex geometries 2-5X faster and use half the memory, allowing users to expand beyond what they ever thought possible with simulation technology. Additionally, HFSS v11 includes new automation features, user-interface refinement, and data linking capability, making it easy to design, simulate, and validate complex high-performance RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave devices, high-speed channels, and complete power-delivery systems in modern, high-performance electronics.

New in HFSS v11

• New higher-order hierarchical basis functions combined with an iterative solver provides accurate fields, smaller meshes, and efficient solutions for large multi-wavelength structures.
• Enhanced port solver: HFSS can simulate lower frequencies than before and will have a lower noise floor.
• Floquet Ports: these periodic ports enable designers of phased-array antennas and frequency-selective surfaces to obtain separate fields into modes for better understanding and examine phase information for each mode.
• Optimetrics™ now offers genetic algorithm
• New Auto-assign capability for terminals
• Complex geometries solve 2-5X faster using half the memory with the new v11 fault tolerant, high-quality finite element mesher
• Expanded Distributed Solve Option
  • Automatic Distributed Solve of discrete and interpolating frequency sweeps
  • Now available for parametric sweeps, optimization, sensitivity analysis, and statistical analysis
• Improved Dynamic Links SIwave-HFSS and HFSS-HFSS
  • Link is now based on both E- and H-field; greater accuracy in case of enforced field in HFSS-HFSS link
• New report editor for better usability
• Feature-rich 2D plots

Product Overview

HFSS™ utilizes a 3D full-wave Finite Element Method (FEM) to compute the electrical behavior of high-frequency and high-speed components. With HFSS, engineers can extract parasitic parameters (S, Y, Z), visualize 3D electromagnetic fields (near- and far-field), and generate Full-Wave SPICE™ models to effectively evaluate signal quality, including transmission path losses, reflection loss due to impedance mismatches, parasitic coupling, and radiation.

HFSS v11 features new higher-order, hierarchical basis functions combined with an iterative solver that provides accurate fields, smaller meshes, and more efficient solutions for large, multi-wavelength structures. A new fault tolerant, high-quality finite element meshing algorithm further enhances HFSS's ability to simulate very complex geometric models, including models imported from 3D CAD environments. HFSS is dynamically linked with Nexxim® and Ansoft Designer® to create a powerful electromagnetic-based design flow. This design flow enables users to combine complex, highly nonlinear circuits with transistor-level detail and 3D full-wave accurate component models to solve challenging high-performance electronic designs.

Product Features

3D Full-wave EM Field Simulation

• Tangential vector finite elements
• Adaptive Lanczos Padé Sweep (ALPS) for fast frequency sweeps
• Inclusion of skin effect, loss, and frequency dependence
• Pushbutton 3D S-, Y-, and Z-matrix parasitic extraction
• Automatic adaptive mesh generation and refinement
• Model healing, automatic feature recognition, mesh resolution control, and fault-tolerant meshing for CAD import
• Low-, medium, and higher-order basis functions
• Direct and iterative matrix solvers (64-bit capability)
• Eigenmode matrix solver (64-bit capability)
• Floquet ports
• Auto-assign for terminal-driven ports
• Incident field from several sources including small current loop, dipoles, and arbitrary plane waves

Solution Data

• S-parameters (single-ended, differential, de-embedded, renormalized)
• Far-field calculation (2D, 3D, gain, angular beam width)
• Port mode and impedance calculation by 2D-eigenmode solver fields
• SAR calculation
• Mode conversion
• Material losses, radiation losses

Full-Wave SPICE™ Models

• Nexxim®, HSPICE®, Spectre® RF and MATLAB® compatible

Data Display/Result Visualization

• S-, Y-, Z-parameter matrix
• Plots
  • 2D/3D Cartesian/Polar plots, Smith charts and Data tables
  • Overlay measurement data
  • Copy vector graphics to clipboard
  • Display Trace Characteristics, Markers, Delta Markers and X Markers
  • Copy and Paste of plot definition or data from one report to another
  • Library of Report Templates: Create templates from reports, vice versa
• Port surface characteristic impedance
• Differential S-parameter, TDR display
• 3D static and animated field plots on any surface
  • Current, electric field, magnetic field
  • Radiation pattern, emissions test
  • Vector display, magnitude display
• Ranged Functions - Extract calculations, such as maximum, minimum and average, from a plot or dataset

Options

• Integrated optimization/parametric solutions
  • Geometry and material parameterization
    • N-dimensional data plots (family of curves)
    • Automated optimization, sensitivity and statistical analysis
• Distributed Analysis for parallel computing:
  • Discrete and interpolating frequency sweeps
  • Optimization, sensitivity analysis, statistical analysis
• Dynamic links to Ansoft products
  • Nexxim® and Ansoft Designer® for circuit and system simulation of microwave, analog/RF and high-speed digital designs
  • HFSS to HFSS datalink allows large 3D problems to be decomposed into multiple domains
  • SIwave™ for EMI/EMC analyses
  • Maxwell® 3D for ferrite devices
  • ePhysics for coupled thermal and structural analysis
• AnsoftLinks™ for import:
  • Layout (Cadence, Mentor Graphics, Zuken)
  • Geometry (DXF, GDSII, Pro/E, Catia, STEP, IGES)