RF Module

Users Guide

VERSION 4.3
RF Module Users Guide
19982012 COMSOL
Protected by U.S. Patents 7,519,518; 7,596,474; and 7,623,991. Patents pending.
This Documentation and the Programs described herein are furnished under the COMSOL Software License
Agreement (www.comsol.com/sla) and may be used or copied only under the terms of the license agree-
ment.
COMSOL, COMSOL Desktop, COMSOL Multiphysics, and LiveLink are registered trademarks or trade-
marks of COMSOL AB. Other product or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.
Version: May 2012 COMSOL 4.3

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Part No. CM021001

C o n t e n t s

Chapter 1: Introduction

About the RF Module 10

What Can the RF Module Do?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What Problems Can You Solve? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
RF Module Physics Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Selecting the Study Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Material Properties and the Material Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The RF Module Modeling Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Show More Physics Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Where Do I Access the Documentation and Model Library? . . . . . . 18
Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Overview of the Users Guide 23

Chapter 2: RF Modeling

Preparing for RF Modeling 26

Simplifying Geometries 27
2D Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3D Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Using Efficient Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Applying Electromagnetic Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Meshing and Solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Periodic Boundary Conditions 32

Perfectly Matched Layers (PMLs) 33

The Challenge of Open Boundaries in Radiation Problems . . . . . . . 33
PML Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Known Issues When Modeling Using PMLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

CONTENTS |3
 Scattered Field Formulation 38

Modeling with Far-Field Calculations 39

Far-Field Support in the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface .
39
The Far Field Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

S-Parameters and Ports 42

S-Parameters in Terms of Electric Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
S-Parameter Calculations in COMSOL Multiphysics: Ports . . . . . . . 43
S-Parameter Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Port Sweeps and Touchstone Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Lumped Ports with Voltage Input 45

About Lumped Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Lumped Port Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Lumped Ports in the RF Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

ECAD Import 49
Overview of the ECAD Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Importing ODB++(X) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Importing GDS-II Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Importing NETEX-G Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
ECAD Import Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Meshing an Imported Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Troubleshooting ECAD Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Lossy Eigenvalue Calculations 60

Eigenfrequency Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Mode Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Connecting to Electrical Circuits 64

About Connecting Electrical Circuits to Physics Interfaces . . . . . . . 64
Connecting Electrical Circuits Using Predefined Couplings . . . . . . . 65
Connecting Electrical Circuits by User-Defined Couplings . . . . . . . 65

4 | CONTENTS
Chapter 3: Electromagnetics Theory

Maxwells Equations 68
Introduction to Maxwells Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Constitutive Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Potentials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Electromagnetic Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Material Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Boundary and Interface Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Phasors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Special Calculations 76
S-Parameter Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Lumped Port Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Far-Field Calculations Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Electromagnetic Quantities 83

Chapter 4: The Radio Frequency Branch

The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface 86

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the Electromagnetic
Waves, Frequency Domain Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Wave Equation, Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Divergence Constraint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Archies Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Porous Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Far-Field Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Far-Field Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Perfectly Matched Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Initial Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Perfect Electric Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Perfect Magnetic Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

CONTENTS |5
 Lumped Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Electric Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Magnetic Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Scattering Boundary Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Impedance Boundary Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Surface Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Transition Boundary Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Periodic Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Magnetic Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Edge Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Electric Point Dipole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Magnetic Point Dipole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Line Current (Out-of-Plane) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface 118

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Conditions for the Electromagnetic
Waves, Transient Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Wave Equation, Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Initial Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

The Transmission Line Interface 125

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the Transmission Line
Equation Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Transmission Line Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Initial Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Absorbing Boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Incoming Wave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Open Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Terminating Impedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Short Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Lumped Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Theory for the Electromagnetic Waves Interfaces 134

Introduction to the RF Interface Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Frequency Domain Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Time Domain Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Vector Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Eigenfrequency Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

6 | CONTENTS
 Effective Conductivity in Porous Media and Mixtures . . . . . . . . 142
Effective Relative Permeability in Porous Media and Mixtures . . . . . 144
Archies Law Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Theory for the Transmission Line Interface 147

Introduction to Transmission Line Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . 148

Chapter 5: The ACDC Branch

The Electrical Circuit Interface 152

Ground Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Resistor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Capacitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Inductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Voltage Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Current Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Voltage-Controlled Current Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Current-Controlled Voltage Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Current-Controlled Current Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Subcircuit Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Subcircuit Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
NPN BJT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
n-Channel MOSFET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Diode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
External I vs. U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
External U vs. I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
External I-Terminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
SPICE Circuit Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Theory for the Electrical Circuit Interface 163

Electric Circuit Modeling and the Semiconductor Device Models. . . . 163
NPN Bipolar Transistor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
n-Channel MOS Transistor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Diode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

CONTENTS |7
 References for the Electrical Circuit Interface . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Chapter 6: The Electromagnetic Heating Branch

The Microwave Heating Interface 176

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the Microwave Heating
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Microwave Heating Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Electromagnetic Heat Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Initial Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Chapter 7: Glossary

Glossary of Terms 186

8 | CONTENTS
 1

Introduction

This guide describes the RF Module, an optional add-on package for COMSOL
Multiphysics with customized user interfaces and functionality optimized for the
analysis of electromagnetic waves.

This chapter introduces you to the capabilities of this module. A summary of the
physics interfaces and where you can find documentation and model examples is
also included. The last section is a brief overview with links to each chapter in this
guide.

About the RF Module

Overview of the Users Guide

9
 About the RF Module
In this section:

What Can the RF Module Do?

What Problems Can You Solve?
RF Module Physics Guide
Selecting the Study Type
Material Properties and the Material Browser
The RF Module Modeling Process
Show More Physics Options
Where Do I Access the Documentation and Model Library?
Typographical Conventions

Overview of the Physics Interfaces and Building a COMSOL Model in

the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide
See Also

What Can the RF Module Do?

The RF Module solves problems in the general field of electromagnetic waves, such as
RF and microwave applications, optics, and photonics. The underlying equations for
electromagnetics are automatically available in all of the physics interfacesa feature
unique to COMSOL Multiphysics. This also makes nonstandard modeling easily
accessible.

The module is useful for component design in virtually all areas where you find
electromagnetic waves, such as:

Antennas
Waveguides and cavity resonators in microwave engineering
Optical fibers
Photonic waveguides
Photonic crystals
Active devices in photonics

10 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
The physics interfaces cover the following types of electromagnetics field simulations
and handle time-harmonic, time-dependent, and eigenfrequency/eigenmode
problems:

In-plane, axisymmetric, and full 3D electromagnetic wave propagation

Full vector mode analysis in 2D and 3D

Material properties include inhomogeneous and fully anisotropic materials, media with
gains or losses, and complex-valued material properties. In addition to the standard
postprocessing features, the module supports direct computation of S-parameters and
far-field patterns. You can add ports with a wave excitation with specified power level
and mode type, and add PMLs (perfectly matched layers) to simulate electromagnetic
waves that propagate into an unbounded domain. For time-harmonic simulations, you
can use the scattered wave or the total wave.

Using the multiphysics capabilities of COMSOL Multiphysics you can couple

simulations with heat transfer, structural mechanics, fluid flow formulations, and other
physical phenomena.

This module also has interfaces for circuit modeling, a SPICE interface, and support
for importing ECAD drawings.

What Problems Can You Solve?

QUASI-STATIC AND HIGH FREQUENCY MODELING

One major difference between quasi-static and high-frequency modeling is that the
formulations depend on the electrical size of the structure. This dimensionless
measure is the ratio between the largest distance between two points in the structure
divided by the wavelength of the electromagnetic fields.

For simulations of structures with an electrical size in the range up to 1/10,

quasi-static formulations are suitable. The physical assumption of these situations is
that wave propagation delays are small enough to be neglected. Thus, phase shifts or
phase gradients in fields are caused by materials and/or conductor arrangements being
inductive or capacitive rather than being caused by propagation delays.

For electrostatic, magnetostatic, and quasi-static electromagnetics, use the AC/DC

Module, a COMSOL Multiphysics add-on module for low-frequency
electromagnetics.

ABOUT THE RF MODULE | 11

 When propagation delays become important, it is necessary to use the full Maxwell
equations for high-frequency electromagnetic waves. They are appropriate for
structures of electrical size 1/100 and larger. Thus, an overlapping range exists where
you can use both the quasi-static and the full Maxwell physics interfaces.

Independently of the structure size, the module accommodates any case of nonlinear,
inhomogeneous, or anisotropic media. It also handles materials with properties that
vary as a function of time as well as frequency-dispersive materials.

RF Module Physics Guide

The interfaces in this module form a complete set of simulation tools for
electromagnetic wave simulations. Use the Model Wizard to select the physics
interface and study type when starting to build a new model. You can add interfaces
and studies to an existing model throughout the design process. Refer to the
COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide for detailed instructions. In addition to the
interfaces included with the basic COMSOL license, the interfaces below are included
with the RF Module and available in the indicated space dimension. All interfaces are
available in 2D and 3D. In 2D there are in-plane formulations for problems with a
planar symmetry as well as axisymmetric formulations for problems with a cylindrical
symmetry. 2D mode analysis of waveguide cross sections with out-of-plane
propagation is also supported. See Simplifying Geometries for more information about
selecting the right space dimension for the model.

Study Types in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Guide

See Also Available Study Types in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

PHYSICS ICON TAG SPACE PRESET STUDIES

DIMENSION

AC/DC

Electrical Circuit cir Not space stationary; frequency

dependent domain; time
dependent

12 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
PHYSICS ICON TAG SPACE PRESET STUDIES
DIMENSION

Heat Transfer

Electromagnetic Heating

Microwave Heating mh 3D, 2D, 2D stationary; frequency

axisymmetric domain; time
dependent; boundary
mode analysis;
frequency-stationary;
frequency transient
Radio Frequency

Electromagnetic Waves, emw 3D, 2D, 2D eigenfrequency;

Frequency Domain axisymmetric frequency domain;
frequency-domain
modal; boundary mode
analysis
Electromagnetic Waves, temw 3D, 2D, 2D eigenfrequency; time
Transient axisymmetric dependent; time
dependent modal
Transmission Line tl 3D, 2D, 1D eigenfrequency;
frequency domain

Selecting the Study Type

To carry out different kinds of simulations for a given set of parameters in a physics
interface, you can select, add, and change the Study Types at almost every stage of
modeling (see the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide for instructions). The available
study types are listed in Table 1-1 with column definitions after the table.

Study Types in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Guide

See Also Available Study Types in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

ABOUT THE RF MODULE | 13

 TABLE 1-1: RF MODULE PHYSICS INTERFACE DEPENDENT VARIABLES AND PRESET STUDIES

THE BRANCH AND NAME DEP. FIELD PRESET STUDIES

PHYSICS INTERFACE VAR. COMP.

BOUNDARY MODE ANALYSIS

FREQUENCY DOMAIN MODAL

FREQUENCY STATIONARY
TIME DEPENDENT MODEL

FREQUENCY TRANSIENT
MAGNETIC FIELD AND

FREQUENCY DOMAIN

EIGENFREQUENCY
TIME DEPENDENT
ELECTRIC FIELDS

RADIO FREQUENCY

Electromagnetic emw E all 3

Waves, Frequency
Domain
Electromagnetic temw A all 3
Waves, Transient
HEAT TRANSFER

Microwave Heating mh T, J, E all 3

PLASMA

Microwave Plasma mwp See the Plasma Module documentation for details.

COMPARING THE TIME DEPENDENT AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN STUDIES

When variations in time are present there are two main approaches to represent the
time dependence. The most straightforward is to solve the problem by calculating the
changes in the solution for each time step; that is, solving using the Time Dependent
study (available with the Electromagnetic Waves, Transient interface). However, this
approach can be time consuming if small time steps are necessary for the desired
accuracy. It is necessary when the inputs are transients like turn-on and turn-off
sequences.

However, if the Frequency Domain study available with the Electromagnetic Waves,
Frequency Domain interface is used, this allows you to efficiently simplify and assume
that all variations in time occur as sinusoidal signals. Then the problem is
time-harmonic and in the frequency domain. Thus you can formulate it as a stationary
problem with complex-valued solutions. The complex value represents both the
amplitude and the phase of the field, while the frequency is specified as a scalar model
input, usually provided by the solver. This approach is useful because, combined with

14 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Fourier analysis, it applies to all periodic signals with the exception of nonlinear
problems. Examples of typical frequency domain simulations are wave-propagation
problems like waveguides and antennas.

For nonlinear problems you can apply a Frequency Domain study after a linearization
of the problem, which assumes that the distortion of the sinusoidal signal is small.

Use a Time Dependent study when the nonlinear influence is strong, or if you are
interested in the harmonic distortion of a sine signal. It may also be more efficient to
use a time dependent study if you have a periodic input with many harmonics, like a
square-shaped signal.

Material Properties and the Material Browser

All physics interfaces in the RF Module support the use of the COMSOL Multiphysics
material database libraries. The electromagnetic material properties that can be stored
in the materials database are:

The electrical conductivity

The relative permittivity
The relative permeability
The refractive index

The physics-specific domain material properties are by default taken from the material
specification. The material properties are inputs to material laws or constitutive
relations that are defined on the feature level below the physics interface node in the
model tree. There is one editable default domain feature (wave equation) that initially
represents a linear isotropic material. Domains with different material laws are specified
by adding additional features. Some of the domain parameters can either be a scalar or
a matrix (tensor) depending on whether the material is isotropic or anisotropic.

In a similar way, boundary, edge, and point settings are specified by adding the
corresponding features. A certain feature might require one or several fields to be
specified, while others generate the conditions without user-specified fields.

Materials and Modeling Anisotropic Materials in the COMSOL

Multiphysics Users Guide
See Also

ABOUT THE RF MODULE | 15

 The RF Module Modeling Process
The modeling process has these main steps, which (excluding the first step),
correspond to the branches displayed in the Model Builder in the COMSOL Desktop
environment.

1 Selecting the appropriate physics interface or predefined multiphysics coupling in

the Model Wizard.
2 Defining model parameters and variables in the Definitions branch ( ).
3 Drawing or importing the model geometry in the Geometry branch ( ).
4 Assigning material properties to the geometry in the Materials branch ( ).
5 Setting up the model equations and boundary conditions in the physics interfaces
branch.
6 Meshing in the Mesh branch ( ).
7 Setting up the study and computing the solution in the Study branch ( ).
8 Analyzing and visualizing the results in the Results branch ( ).

Even after a model is defined, you can edit to input data, equations, boundary
conditions, geometrythe equations and boundary conditions are still available
through associative geometryand mesh settings. You can restart the solver, for
example, using the existing solution as the initial condition or initial guess. It is also
easy to add another interface to account for a phenomenon not previously described
in a model.

Building a COMSOL Model in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users

Guide
RF Module Physics Guide
See Also
Selecting the Study Type

Show More Physics Options

There are several features available on many physics interfaces or individual nodes. This
section is a short overview of the options and includes links to the COMSOL

16 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 Multiphysics Users Guide or COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Guide where
additional information is available.

The links to the features described in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users

Guide and COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Guide do not work in the
Important PDF, only from within the online help.

To locate and search all the documentation for this information, in

COMSOL, select Help>Documentation from the main menu and either
enter a search term or look under a specific module in the documentation
Tip
tree.

To display additional features for the physics interfaces and feature nodes, click the
Show button ( ) on the Model Builder and then select the applicable option.

After clicking the Show button ( ), some sections display on the settings window
when a node is clicked and other features are available from the context menu when a
node is right-clicked. For each, the additional sections that can be displayed include
Equation, Advanced Settings, Discretization, Consistent Stabilization, and Inconsistent
Stabilization.

You can also click the Expand Sections button ( ) in the Model Builder to always show
some sections or click the Show button ( ) and select Reset to Default to reset to
display only the Equation and Override and Contribution sections.

For most physics nodes, both the Equation and Override and Contribution sections are
always available. Click the Show button ( ) and then select Equation View to display
the Equation View node under all physics nodes in the Model Builder.

Availability of each feature, and whether it is described for a particular physics node, is
based on the individual physics selected. For example, the Discretization, Advanced

ABOUT THE RF MODULE | 17

 Settings, Consistent Stabilization, and Inconsistent Stabilization sections are often
described individually throughout the documentation as there are unique settings.

SECTION CROSS REFERENCE LOCATION IN

COMSOL
MULTIPHYSICS USER
GUIDE OR
REFERENCE GUIDE

Show More Options and Showing and Expanding Advanced Users Guide
Expand Sections Physics Sections
The Model Builder Window
Discretization Show Discretization Users Guide
Element Types and Discretization
Finite Elements Reference Guide
Discretization of the Equations
Discretization - Splitting Compile Equations Reference Guide
of complex variables
Pair Selection Identity and Contact Pairs Users Guide
Specifying Boundary Conditions for
Identity Pairs
Consistent and Show Stabilization Users Guide
Inconsistent Stabilization
Stabilization Techniques Reference Guide
Numerical Stabilization
Geometry Working with Geometry Users Guide
Constraint Settings Using Weak Constraints Users Guide

Where Do I Access the Documentation and Model Library?

A number of Internet resources provide more information about COMSOL
Multiphysics, including licensing and technical information. The electronic

18 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 documentation, Dynamic Help, and the Model Library are all accessed through the
COMSOL Desktop.

If you are reading the documentation as a PDF file on your computer, the
blue links do not work to open a model or content referenced in a
different users guide. However, if you are using the online help in
Important COMSOL Multiphysics, these links work to other modules, model
examples, and documentation sets.

THE DOCUMENTATION
The COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide and COMSOL Multiphysics Reference
Guide describe all interfaces and functionality included with the basic COMSOL
Multiphysics license. These guides also have instructions about how to use COMSOL
Multiphysics and how to access the documentation electronically through the
COMSOL Multiphysics help desk.

To locate and search all the documentation, in COMSOL Multiphysics:

Press F1 for Dynamic Help,

Click the buttons on the toolbar, or
Select Help>Documentation ( ) or Help>Dynamic Help ( ) from the main menu

and then either enter a search term or look under a specific module in the
documentation tree.

THE MODEL LIBRARY

Each model comes with documentation that includes a theoretical background and
step-by-step instructions to create the model. The models are available in COMSOL
as MPH-files that you can open for further investigation. You can use the step-by-step
instructions and the actual models as a template for your own modeling and
applications.

SI units are used to describe the relevant properties, parameters, and dimensions in
most examples, but other unit systems are available.

To open the Model Library, select View>Model Library ( ) from the main menu, and
then search by model name or browse under a module folder name. Click to highlight
any model of interest, and select Open Model and PDF to open both the model and the
documentation explaining how to build the model. Alternatively, click the Dynamic

ABOUT THE RF MODULE | 19

 Help button ( ) or select Help>Documentation in COMSOL to search by name or
browse by module.

The model libraries are updated on a regular basis by COMSOL in order to add new
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Typographical Conventions
All COMSOL users guides use a set of consistent typographical conventions that make
it easier to follow the discussion, understand what you can expect to see on the
graphical user interface (GUI), and know which data must be entered into various
data-entry fields.

20 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
In particular, these conventions are used throughout the documentation:

CONVENTION EXAMPLE

text highlighted in blue Click text highlighted in blue to go to other information

in the PDF. When you are using the online help desk in
COMSOL Multiphysics, these links also work to other
modules, model examples, and documentation sets.
boldface font A boldface font indicates that the given word(s) appear
exactly that way on the COMSOL Desktop (or, for toolbar
buttons, in the corresponding tip). For example, the Model
Builder window ( ) is often referred to and this is the
window that contains the model tree. As another example,
the instructions might say to click the Zoom Extents button
( ), and this means that when you hover over the button
with your mouse, the same label displays on the COMSOL
Desktop.
Forward arrow symbol > The forward arrow symbol > is instructing you to select a
series of menu items in a specific order. For example,
Options>Preferences is equivalent to: From the Options
menu, choose Preferences.
Code (monospace) font A Code (monospace) font indicates you are to make a
keyboard entry in the user interface. You might see an
instruction such as Enter (or type) 1.25 in the Current
density field. The monospace font also is an indication of
programming code or a variable name.
Italic Code (monospace) An italic Code (monospace) font indicates user inputs and
font parts of names that can vary or be defined by the user.
Arrow brackets <> The arrow brackets included in round brackets after either
following the Code a monospace Code or an italic Code font means that the
(monospace) or Code content in the string can be freely chosen or entered by the
(italic) fonts user, such as feature tags. For example,
model.geom(<tag>) where <tag> is the geometrys tag
(an identifier of your choice).
When the string is predefined by COMSOL, no bracket is
used and this indicates that this is a finite set, such as a
feature name.

KEY TO THE GRAPHICS

Throughout the documentation, additional icons are used to help navigate the
information. These categories are used to draw your attention to the information

ABOUT THE RF MODULE | 21

 based on the level of importance, although it is always recommended that you read
these text boxes.

ICON NAME DESCRIPTION

Caution A Caution icon is used to indicate that the user should proceed
carefully and consider the next steps. It might mean that an
action is required, or if the instructions are not followed, that
there will be problems with the model solution.
Important An Important icon is used to indicate that the information
provided is key to the model building, design, or solution. The
information is of higher importance than a note or tip, and the
user should endeavor to follow the instructions.
Note A Note icon is used to indicate that the information may be of
use to the user. It is recommended that the user read the text.
Tip A Tip icon is used to provide information, reminders, short
cuts, suggestions of how to improve model design, and other
information that may or may not be useful to the user.
See Also The See Also icon indicates that other useful information is
located in the named section. If you are working on line, click
the hyperlink to go to the information directly. When the link is
outside of the current PDF document, the text indicates this,
for example See The Laminar Flow Interface in the
COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide. Note that if you are in
COMSOL Multiphysics online help, the link will work.
Model The Model icon is used in the documentation as well as in
COMSOL Multiphysics from the View>Model Library menu. If
you are working online, click the link to go to the PDF version
of the step-by-step instructions. In some cases, a model is only
available if you have a license for a specific module. These
examples occur in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide.
The Model Library path describes how to find the actual model
in COMSOL Multiphysics, for example
If you have the RF Module, see Radar Cross Section: Model
Library path RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/radar_cross_section
Space Dimension Another set of icons are also used in the Model Builderthe
model space dimension is indicated by 0D , 1D , 1D
axial symmetry , 2D , 2D axial symmetry , and 3D
icons. These icons are also used in the documentation to
clearly list the differences to an interface, feature node, or
theory section, which are based on space dimension.

22 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of the Users Guide
The RF Module Users Guide gets you started with modeling using COMSOL
Multiphysics. The information in this guide is specific to this module. Instructions how
to use COMSOL in general are included with the COMSOL Multiphysics Users
Guide.

As detailed in the section Where Do I Access the Documentation and

Model Library? this information is also searchable from the COMSOL
Tip Multiphysics software Help menu.

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S , G L O S S A R Y, A N D I N D E X
To help you navigate through this guide, see the Contents, Glossary, and Index.

MODELING WITH THE RF MODULE

The RF Modeling chapter familiarize you with the modeling procedures. A number of
models available through the Model Library also illustrate the different aspects of the
simulation process. Topics include Preparing for RF Modeling, Simplifying
Geometries, Perfectly Matched Layers (PMLs), and Scattered Field Formulation.

RF THEORY
The Electromagnetics Theory chapter contains a review of the basic theory of
electromagnetics, starting with Maxwells Equations, and the theory for some Special
Calculations: S-parameters, lumped port parameters, and far-field analysis. There is
also a list of Electromagnetic Quantities with their SI units and symbols.

RADIO FREQUENCY
The Radio Frequency Branch chapter describes The Electromagnetic Waves,
Frequency Domain Interface, which analyzes frequency domain electromagnetic
waves, and uses time-harmonic and eigenfrequency or eigenmode (2D only) studies,
boundary mode analysis and frequency domain modal. It also describes The
Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface, which supports the time dependent study
type. The underlying theory is also included at the end of the chapter.

O V E R V I E W O F T H E U S E R S G U I D E | 23
 ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
The ACDC Branch chapter describes The Electrical Circuit Interface, which simulates
the current in a conductive and capacitive material under the influence of an electric
field. All three study types (stationary, frequency domain, and time-dependent) are
available. The underlying theory is also included at the end of the chapter.

H E A T TR A N S F E R
The Electromagnetic Heating Branch chapter describes the Microwave Heating
interface, which combines the features of an Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency
Domain interface from the RF Module with the Heat Transfer interface. The
predefined interaction adds the electromagnetic losses from the electromagnetic waves
as a heat source and solves frequency domain (time-harmonic) electromagnetic waves
in conjunction with stationary or transient heat transfer. This interface is based on the
assumption that the electromagnetic cycle time is short compared to the thermal time
scale (adiabatic assumption). The underlying theory is also included at the end of the
chapter.

24 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 2

RF Modeling

The goal of this chapter is to familiarize you with the modeling procedure in the
RF Module. A number of models available through the Model Library also
illustrate the different aspects of the simulation process.

In this chapter:

Preparing for RF Modeling

Simplifying Geometries
Periodic Boundary Conditions
Perfectly Matched Layers (PMLs)
Scattered Field Formulation
Modeling with Far-Field Calculations
S-Parameters and Ports
Lumped Ports with Voltage Input
ECAD Import
Lossy Eigenvalue Calculations
Connecting to Electrical Circuits

25
 Preparing for RF Modeling
Several modeling topics are described in this section that may not be found in ordinary
textbooks on electromagnetic theory.

This chapter is intended to help answer questions such as:

Which spatial dimension should I use: 3D, 2D axial symmetry, or 2D?

Is my problem suited for time dependent or frequency domain formulations?
Can I use a quasi-static formulation or do I need wave propagation?
What sources can I use to excite the fields?
When do I need to resolve the thickness of thin shells and when can I use boundary
conditions?
What is the purpose of the model?
What information do I want to extract from the model?

Increasing the complexity of a model to make it more accurate usually makes it more
expensive to simulate. A complex model is also more difficult to manage and interpret
than a simple one. Keep in mind that it can be more accurate and efficient to use several
simple models instead of a single, complex one.

Overview of the Physics Interfaces and Building a COMSOL Model in

the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide
See Also

26 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
Simplifying Geometries
Most of the problems that are solved with COMSOL Multiphysics are
three-dimensional (3D) in the real world. In many cases, it is sufficient to solve a
two-dimensional (2D) problem that is close to or equivalent to the real problem.
Furthermore, it is good practice to start a modeling project by building one or several
2D models before going to a 3D model. This is because 2D models are easier to
modify and solve much faster. Thus, modeling mistakes are much easier to find when
working in 2D. Once the 2D model is verified, you are in a much better position to
build a 3D model.

In this section:

2D Models
3D Models
Using Efficient Boundary Conditions
Applying Electromagnetic Sources
Meshing and Solving

2D Models
The text below is a guide to some of the common approximations made for 2D
models. Remember that the modeling in 2D usually represents some 3D geometry
under the assumption that nothing changes in the third dimension.

CARTESIAN COORDINATES
In this case a cross section is viewed in the xy-plane of the actual 3D geometry. The
geometry is mathematically extended to infinity in both directions along the z-axis,
assuming no variation along that axis. All the total flows in and out of boundaries are
per unit length along the z-axis. A simplified way of looking at this is to assume that
the geometry is extruded one unit length from the cross section along the z-axis. The
total flow out of each boundary is then from the face created by the extruded boundary
(a boundary in 2D is a line).

There are usually two approaches that lead to a 2D cross-section view of a problem.
The first approach is when it is known that there is no variation of the solution in one
particular dimension.

SIMPLIFYING GEOMETRIES | 27
 This is shown in the model H-Bend Waveguide 2D, where the electric field only has
one component in the z direction and is constant along that axis. The second approach
is when there is a problem where the influence of the finite extension in the third
dimension can be neglected.

Figure 2-1: The cross sections and their real geometry for Cartesian coordinates and
cylindrical coordinates (axial symmetry).

H-Bend Waveguide 2D: Model Library path RF_Module/

RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/h_bend_waveguide_2d
Model

AXIAL SYMMETRY (CYLINDRICAL COORDINATES)

If the 3D geometry can be constructed by revolving a cross section around an axis, and
if no variations in any variable occur when going around the axis of revolution, then
use an axisymmetric physics interface. The spatial coordinates are called r and z, where
r is the radius. The flow at the boundaries is given per unit length along the third
dimension. Because this dimension is a revolution all flows must be multiplied with r,
where is the revolution angle (for example, 2 for a full turn).

Conical Antenna: Model Library path RF_Module/

RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/conical_antenna
Model

28 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
 When using the axisymmetric versions, the horizontal axis represents the
radial (r) direction and the vertical axis the z direction, and the geometry
in the right half-plane (that is, for positive r only) must be created. The
Important physical quantities used are the electric field, E and the magnetic
potential, A.

PO LA RIZATION IN 2D
In addition to selecting 2D or 2D axisymmetry when you start building the model, the
main physics interface node (Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain or
Electromagnetic Waves, Transient) in the model tree offers a choice in the settings
section of electric field components to solve for. The available choices are Out-of-plane
vector, In-plane vector and Three-component vector. This choice determines what
polarizations can be handled. For example; as you are solving for the electric field, a
2D TM (out-of-plane H field) model requires choosing In-plane vector as then the
electric field components are in the modeling plane.

3D Models
Although COMSOL Multiphysics fully supports arbitrary 3D geometries, it is
important to simplify the problem. This is because 3D models often require more
computer power, memory, and time to solve. The extra time spent on simplifying a
model is probably well spent when solving it. Below are a few issues that need to be
addressed before starting to implement a 3D model in the RF Module.

Check if it is possible to solve the problem in 2D. Given that the necessary
approximations are small, the solution is more accurate in 2D, because a much
denser mesh can be used.
Look for symmetries in the geometry and model. Many problems have planes where
the solution is the same on both sides of the plane. A good way to check this is to
flip the geometry around the plane, for example, by turning it up-side down around
the horizontal plane. Then remove the geometry below the plane if no differences
are observed between the two cases regarding geometry, materials, and sources.
Boundaries created by the cross section between the geometry and this plane need
a symmetry boundary condition, which is available in all 3D physics interfaces.
There are also cases when the dependence along one direction is known, and it can
be replaced by an analytical function. Use this approach either to convert 3D to 2D
or to convert a layer to a boundary condition.

SIMPLIFYING GEOMETRIES | 29
 Using Efficient Boundary Conditions
An important technique to minimize the problem size is to use efficient boundary
conditions. Truncating the geometry without introducing too large errors is one of the
great challenges in modeling. Below are a few suggestions of how to do this. They
apply to both 2D and 3D problems.

Many models extend to infinity or may have regions where the solution only
undergoes small changes. This problem is addressed in two related steps. First, the
geometry needs to be truncated in a suitable position. Second, a suitable boundary
condition needs to be applied there. For static and quasi-static models, it is often
possible to assume zero fields at the open boundary, provided that this is at a
sufficient distance away from the sources. For radiation problems, special
low-reflecting boundary conditions need to be applied. This boundary should be in
the order of a few wavelengths away from any source.
A more accurate option is to use perfectly matched layers (PMLs). PMLs are layers
that absorbs all radiated waves with small reflections.
Replace thin layers with boundary conditions where possible. There are several types
of boundary conditions in COMSOL Multiphysics suitable for such replacements.
For example, replace materials with high conductivity by the perfect electric
conductor (PEC) boundary condition.
Use boundary conditions for known solutions. For example, an antenna aperture
can be modeled as an equivalent surface current density on a 2D face (boundary) in
a 3D model.

Applying Electromagnetic Sources

Electromagnetic sources can be applied in many different ways. The typical options are
boundary sources, line sources, and point sources, where point sources in 2D
formulations are equivalent to line sources in 3D formulations. The way sources are
imposed can have an impact on what quantities can be computed from the model. For
example, a line source in an electromagnetic wave model represents a singularity and
the magnetic field does not have a finite value at the position of the source. In a
COMSOL Multiphysics model, the magnetic field of a line source has a finite but
mesh-dependent value. In general, using volume or boundary sources is more flexible
than using line sources or point sources, but the meshing of the source domains
becomes more expensive.

30 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
Meshing and Solving
The finite element method approximates the solution within each element, using some
elementary shape function that can be constant, linear, or of higher order. Depending
on the element order in the model, a finer or coarser mesh is required to resolve the
solution. In general, there are three problem-dependent factors that determine the
necessary mesh resolution:

The first is the variation in the solution due to geometrical factors. The mesh
generator automatically generates a finer mesh where there is a lot of fine
geometrical details. Try to remove such details if they do not influence the solution,
because they produce a lot of unnecessary mesh elements.
The second is the skin effect or the field variation due to losses. It is easy to estimate
the skin depth from the conductivity, permeability, and frequency. At least two linear
elements per skin depth are required to capture the variation of the fields. If the skin
depth is not studied or a very accurate measure of the dissipation loss profile is not
needed, replace regions with a small skin depth with a boundary condition, thereby
saving elements. If it is necessary to resolve the skin depth, the boundary layer
meshing technique can be a convenient way to get a dense mesh near a boundary.
The third and last factor is the wavelength. To resolve a wave properly, it is necessary
to use about 10 linear (or five 2nd order) elements per wavelength. Keep in mind
that the wavelength depends on the local material properties.

In the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide:

Generating a Boundary Layer Mesh

See Also
Solvers and Study Types

SOLVERS
In most cases the solver sequence generated by COMSOL Multiphysics can be used.
The choice of solver is optimized for the typical case for each physics interface and
study type in the RF Module. However, in special cases tuning the solver settings may
be required. This is especially important for 3D problems because they can require a
large amount of memory. For large 3D problems, a 64-bit platform may be needed.

SIMPLIFYING GEOMETRIES | 31
 Periodic Boundary Conditions
The RF Module has a dedicated Periodic Condition. The periodic condition can identify
simple mappings on plane source and destination boundaries of equal shape. The
destination can also be rotated with respect to the source. There are three types of
periodic conditions available (only the first two for transient analysis):

ContinuityThe tangential components of the solution variables are equal on the

source and destination.
AntiperiodicityThe tangential components have opposite signs.
Floquet periodicityThere is a phase shift between the tangential components. The
phase shift is determined by a wave vector and the distance between the source and
destination. Floquet periodicity is typically used for models involving plane waves
interacting with periodic structures.

Periodic boundary conditions must have compatible meshes.

If more advanced periodic boundary conditions are required, for

example, when there is a known rotation of the polarization from one
boundary to another, see Model Couplings in the COMSOL
Note Multiphysics Users Guide for tools to define more general mappings
between boundaries.

To learn how to use the Copy Mesh feature to ensure that the mesh on
the destination boundary is identical to that on the source boundary, see
Fresnel Equations: Model Library path RF_Module/Verification_Models/
Model
fresnel_equations.

In the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide:

Periodic Condition
Destination Selection
See Also
Using Periodic Boundary Conditions
Periodic Boundary Condition Example

32 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
Perfectly Matched Layers (PMLs)
In this section:

The Challenge of Open Boundaries in Radiation Problems

PML Implementation
Known Issues When Modeling Using PMLs

For examples on using perfectly matched layers, use any of the following
models in the RF Module Model Library:

Tutorial Models/Radar Cross Section (2D, cylindrical PML)

Model Tutorial Models/RF Coil (3D, spherical PML with swept mesh).
RF and Microwave Engineering/Balanced Patch Antenna for 6 GHz
(3D, spherical PML).

The Challenge of Open Boundaries in Radiation Problems

One of the challenges in finite element modeling is how to treat open boundaries in
radiation problems. This module offers two closely related types of absorbing
boundary conditions, the scattering boundary condition and the port boundary
condition. The scattering boundary condition is a first order absorbing boundary
condition for a plane wave or (optionally) a cylindrical or spherical wave, whereas a
port boundary condition is a perfectly absorbing condition for general modes of a
known shape, provided that the correct mode shape and the propagation constant are
supplied.

Several port boundary condition features representing an expansion into mutually

orthogonal modes is also allowed and can be used to account for higher diffraction
orders from a grating or be used to truncate a waveguide operated in the multimode
regime. However, in many scattering and antenna-modeling problems, the outgoing
radiation cannot be described as a plane wave with a well-known direction of
propagation or as a known, finite modal expansion. In such situations, consider using
perfectly matched layers (PMLs).

A PML is not, strictly speaking, a boundary condition but an additional domain that
absorbs the incident radiation without producing reflections. It provides good
performance for a wide range of incidence angles and is not particularly sensitive to the

PERFECTLY MATCHED LAYERS (PMLS) | 33

 shape of the wave fronts. The PML formulation can be deduced from Maxwells
equations by introducing a complex-valued coordinate transformation under the
additional requirement that the wave impedance should remain unaffected (Ref. 1).

The following section describes how to use the semiautomatic frequency domain
PMLs in the RF Module to create planar, cylindrical, and spherical PMLs. Transient
PMLs are not supported.

REFERENCE
1. Jianming Jin, The Finite Element Method in Electromagnetics, 2nd ed.,
Wiley-IEEE Press, 2002.

PML Implementation
The RF Module uses the following coordinate transform for the general coordinate
variable t.

t n
t' = ------- 1 i F (2-1)
w

The coordinate, t, and the width of the PML region, w, are geometrical parameters
that are automatically extracted for each region. The other parameters are the PML
scaling factor F and the PML order n that can be modified in the PML feature (both
default to unity). To avoid a nonlinear dependence in the eigenvalue, the wavelength,
, is removed from the scaling expression when computing an eigenfrequency study.
The software automatically computes the value for w and the orientation of the
transform for PML regions that are Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical. However, there
is no check that the geometry of the region is correct, so it is important to draw a
proper geometry and select the corresponding region type. Typical examples of PML
regions that work nicely are shown in the figures for three of the PML types below.
The supported PML types are:

CartesianPMLs absorbing in Cartesian coordinate directions. It is available in

2D and 3D (Figure 2-2).
CylindricalPMLs absorbing in cylindrical coordinate directions from a specified
axis. It is available in 3D, 2D, and 2D axisymmetry. In axisymmetry, the cylinder axis
is the z-axis (Figure 2-3).

34 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
 SphericalPMLs absorbing in the radial direction from a specified center point. It
is available in 2D axisymmetry and 3D (Figure 2-4).
GeneralGeneral PMLs or domain scaling with user-defined coordinate
transformations.

Figure 2-2: A cube surrounded by typical PML regions of the type Cartesian.

Figure 2-3: A cylinder surrounded by typical cylindrical PML regions.

PERFECTLY MATCHED LAYERS (PMLS) | 35

 Figure 2-4: A sphere surrounded by a typical spherical PML region.

GENERAL SCALING
With manual control of the scaling, the geometric parameters that define the
stretching are added as subnodes labeled Manual Scaling. These subnodes have no
effect unless the type of the Perfectly Matched Layers node is set to General. Each
Manual Scaling subnode has three parameters: the scaling direction arot, the geometric
width r , and the coordinate at interface rI. The first parameter sets the direction
from the interface to the outer boundary, the second parameter sets the width of the
region, and the last parameter sets an arbitrary coordinate at the interface. When going
from any of the other types to the general type, Manual Scaling subnodes are
automatically added that represent stretching of the previous type.

Known Issues When Modeling Using PMLs

When modeling with PMLs, be aware of the following:

A separate Perfectly Matched Layers node must be used for each isolated PML
domain. That is, to use one and the same Perfectly Matched Layers node, all PML
domains must be in contact with each other. Otherwise the PMLs do not work
properly.
The coordinate scaling resulting from PMLs also yields an equivalent scaling of the
mesh that may effectively result in a poor element quality. (The element quality
displayed by the mesh statistics feature does not account for this effect.) This
typically happens when the geometrical thickness of the PML deviates much from
one wavelength (local wavelength rather than free space wavelength). The poor
element quality causes poor convergence for iterative solvers and make the problem
ill-conditioned in general. Especially vector element formulations (the ones using

36 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
 two or more components of a vector field variable) are sensitive to low element
quality. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to use swept meshing in the
PML domains. The sweep direction should be selected the same as the direction of
scaling. For Cartesian PMLs and regions with more than one direction of scaling it
is recommended to first sweep the mesh in the domains with only one direction of
scaling, then sweep the domains with scaling in two directions, and finish by
sweeping the mesh in the domains with PML scaling in all three directions.
The expressions resulting from the stretching get quite complicated for spherical
PMLs in 3D. This increases the time for the assembly stage in the solution process.
After the assembly, the computation time and memory consumption are comparable
to a problem without PMLs. The number of iterations for iterative solvers might
increase if the PML regions have a coarse mesh.
PML regions deviating significantly from the typical configurations shown in the
beginning of this section can cause the automatic calculation of the PML parameter
to give erroneous result. Enter the parameter values manually if necessary.
The PML region is designed to model uniform regions extended toward infinity.
Avoid using objects with different material parameters or boundary conditions that
influence the solution inside an PML region.

Parts of the shapes shown can also be used, but the PML scaling does probably not
work for complex shapes that deviate significantly from these shapes.

PERFECTLY MATCHED LAYERS (PMLS) | 37

 Scattered Field Formulation
For many problems, it is the scattered field that is the interesting quantity. Such models
usually have a known incident field that does not need a solution computed for, so
there are several benefits to reduce the formulation and only solve for the scattered
field. If the incident field is much larger in magnitude than the scattered field, the
accuracy of the simulation improves if the scattered field is solved for. Furthermore, a
plane wave excitation is easier to set up, because for scattered-field problems it is
specified as a global plane wave. Otherwise matched boundary conditions must be set
up around the structure, which can be rather complicated for nonplanar boundaries.
Especially when using perfectly matched layers (PMLs), the advantage of using the
scattered-field formulation becomes clear. With a full-wave formulation, the damping
in the PML must be taken into account when exciting the plane wave, because the
excitation appears outside the PML. With the scattered-field formulation the plane
wave for all non-PML regions is specified, so it is not at all affected by the PML design.

SCATTERED FIELDS SETTING

The scattered-field formulation is available for The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency
Domain Interface under the Settings section. The scattered field in the analysis is called
the relative electric field. The total electric field is always available, and for the
scattered-field formulation this is the sum of the scattered field and the incident field.

Radar Cross Section: Model Library path RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/

radar_cross_section
Model

38 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
Modeling with Far-Field Calculations
The far electromagnetic field from, for example, antennas can be calculated from the
calculated near field on a boundary using far-field analysis. The antenna is located in
the vicinity of the origin, while the far-field is taken at infinity but with a well-defined
angular direction . The far-field radiation pattern is given by evaluating the
squared norm of the far-field on a sphere centered at the origin. Each coordinate on
the surface of the sphere represents an angular direction.

Radar Cross Section: Model Library path RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/

radar_cross_section
Model

In this section:

Far-Field Support in the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface

The Far Field Plots

Far-Field Support in the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain

Interface
The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain interface supports far-field analysis.
To define the far-field variables use the Far-Field Calculation node. Select a domain for
the far-field calculation. Then select the boundaries where the algorithm integrates the
near field, and enter a name for the far electric field. Also specify if symmetry planes are
used in the model when calculating the far-field variable. The symmetry planes have to
coincide with one of the Cartesian coordinate planes. For each of these planes it is
possible to select the type of symmetry to use, which can be of either Symmetry in E
(PMC) or Symmetry in H (PEC). Make the choice here match the boundary
condition used for the symmetry boundary. Using these settings, the parts of the
geometry that are not in the model for symmetry reasons can be included in the
far-field analysis.

For each variable name entered, the software generates functions and variables, which
represent the vector components of the far electric field. The names of these variables
are constructed by appending the names of the independent variables to the name
entered in the field. For example, the name Efar is entered and the geometry is

M O D E L I N G W I T H F A R- F I E L D C A L C U L A T I O N S | 39
 Cartesian with the independent variables x, y, and z, the generated variables get the
names Efarx, Efary, and Efarz. If, on the other hand, the geometry is axisymmetric
with the independent variables r, phi, and z, the generated variables get the names
Efarr, Efarphi, and Efarz. In 2D, the software only generates the variables for the
nonzero field components. The physics interface name also appears in front of the
variable names so they may vary, but typically look something like emw.Efarz and so
forth.

To each of the generated variables, there is a corresponding function with the same
name. This function takes the vector components of the evaluated far-field direction as
arguments.

The vector components also can be interpreted as a position. For

example, assume that the variables dx, dy, and dz represent the direction
Note in which the far electric field is evaluated.

The expression

Efarx(dx,dy,dz)

gives the value of the far electric field in this direction. To give the direction as an angle,
use the expression

Efarx(sin(theta)*cos(phi),sin(theta)*sin(phi),cos(theta))

where the variables theta and phi are defined to represent the angular direction
in radians. The magnitude of the far field and its value in dB are also generated
as the variables normEfar and normdBEfar, respectively.

Far-Field Calculations Theory

See Also

The Far Field Plots

The Far Field plots are available with the RF Module to plot the value of a global
variable (the far field norm, normEfar and normdBEfar, or components of the far field
variable Efar). The variables are plotted for a selected number of angles on a unit circle
(in 2D) or a unit sphere (in 3D). The angle interval and the number of angles can be
manually specified. Also the circle origin and radius of the circle (2D) or sphere (3D)

40 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
can be specified. For 3D Far Field plots you also specify an expression for the surface
color.

The main advantage with the Far Field plot, as compared to making a Line Graph, is that
the unit circle/sphere that you use for defining the plot directions, is not part of your
geometry for the solution. Thus, the number of plotting directions is decoupled from
the discretization of the solution domain.

Default Far Field plots are automatically added to any model that uses far
field calculations.
Note

2D model example with a Polar Plot GroupRadar Cross Section:

Model Library path RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/radar_cross_section
2D axisymmetric model example with a Polar Plot Group and a 3D
Plot GroupConical Antenna: Model Library path RF_Module/
RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/conical_antenna
Model
3D model example with a Polar Plot Group and 3D Plot Group
Radome with Double-layered Dielectric Lens: Model Library path
RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/radome_antenna

Far-Field Support in the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain

Interface
See Also Far Field Plots in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

M O D E L I N G W I T H F A R- F I E L D C A L C U L A T I O N S | 41
 S - P a r a m e t e r s a n d Port s
In this section:

S-Parameters in Terms of Electric Field

S-Parameter Calculations in COMSOL Multiphysics: Ports
S-Parameter Variables
Port Sweeps and Touchstone Export

S-Parameters in Terms of Electric Field

Scattering parameters (or S-parameters) are complex-valued, frequency dependent
matrices describing the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves at
different ports of devices like filters, antennas, waveguide transitions, and transmission
lines. S-parameters originate from transmission-line theory and are defined in terms of
transmitted and reflected voltage waves. All ports are assumed to be connected to
matched loads, that is, there is no reflection directly at a port.

For a device with n ports, the S-parameters are

S 11 S 12 . . S 1n
S 21 S 22 . . .
S = . . . . .
. . . . .
S n1 . . . S nn

where S11 is the voltage reflection coefficient at port 1, S21 is the voltage transmission
coefficient from port 1 to port 2, and so on. The time average power reflection/
transmission coefficients are obtained as | Sij |2.

Now, for high-frequency problems, voltage is not a well-defined entity, and it is

necessary to define the scattering parameters in terms of the electric field. For details
on how COMSOL Multiphysics calculates the S-parameters, see S-Parameter
Calculations.

42 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
S-Parameter Calculations in COMSOL Multiphysics: Ports
The RF interfaces have a built-in support for S-parameter calculations. To set up an
S-parameter study use a Port boundary feature for each port in the model. Also use a
Lumped Port that approximate connecting transmission lines. The lumped ports
should only be used when the port width is much smaller than the wavelength.

For more details about lumped ports, see Lumped Ports with Voltage
Input.
See Also See Port and Lumped Port for instructions to set up a model.

For a detailed description how to model numerical ports with a boundary

mode analysis, see Waveguide Adapter: Model Library path RF_Module/
Model RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/waveguide_adapter.

S-Parameter Variables
The RF Module automatically generates variables for the S-parameters. The port
names (use numbers for sweeps to work correctly) determine the variable names. If,
for example, there are two ports with the numbers 1 and 2 and Port 1 is the inport,
the software generates the variables S11 and S21. S11 is the S-parameter for the
reflected wave and S21 is the S-parameter for the transmitted wave. For convenience,
two variables for the S-parameters on a dB scale, S11dB and S21dB, are also defined
using the following relation:

S 11dB = 20 log 10 S 11

The model and physics interface names also appear in front of the variable names so
they may vary. The S-parameter variables are added to the predefined quantities in
appropriate plot lists.

S-PARAMETERS AND PORTS | 43

 Port Sweeps and Touchstone Export
The Port Sweep Settings section in the Electromagnetic Waves interface (see Port
Sweep Settings) cycles through the ports, computes the entire S-matrix and exports it
to a Touchstone file.

H-Bend Waveguide 3D: Model Library path RF_Module/

RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/h_bend_waveguide_3d
Model

44 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
Lumped Ports with Voltage Input
In this section:

About Lumped Ports

Lumped Port Parameters
Lumped Ports in the RF Module

About Lumped Ports

The ports described in the S-Parameters and Ports section require a detailed
specification of the mode, including the propagation constant and field profile. In
situations when the mode is difficult to calculate or when there is an applied voltage to
the port, a lumped port might be a better choice. This is also the appropriate choice
when connecting a model to an electrical circuit. The lumped port is not as accurate
as the ordinary port in terms of calculating S-parameters, but it is easier to use. For
example, attach a lumped port as an internal port directly to a printed circuit board or
to the transmission line feed of a device. The lumped port must be applied between
two metallic objects separated by a distance much smaller than the wavelength, that is
a local quasi-static approximation must be justified. This is because the concept of port
or gap voltage breaks down unless the gap is much smaller than the local wavelength.

A lumped port specified as an input port calculates the impedance, Zport, and S11
S-parameter for that port. The parameters are directly given by the relations

V port
Z port = -------------
I port
V port V in
S 11 = ----------------------------
V in

where Vport is the extracted voltage for the port given by the electric field line integral
between the terminals averaged over the entire port. The current Iport is the averaged

L U M P E D P O R T S W I T H VO L T A G E I N P U T | 45
 total current over all cross sections parallel to the terminals. Ports not specified as input
ports only return the extracted voltage and current.

Lumped Port Parameters

See Also

Lumped Port Parameters

In transmission line theory voltages and currents are dealt with rather than electric and
magnetic fields, so the lumped port provides an interface between them. The
requirement on a lumped port is that the feed point must be similar to a transmission
line feed, so its gap must be much less than the wavelength. It is then possible to define
the electric field from the voltage as

V = E dl = E ah dl
h h

where h is a line between the terminals at the beginning of the transmission line, and
the integration is going from positive (phase) V to ground. The current is positive
going into the terminal at positive V.

I
+V
Js E h
-V

n
Lumped port boundary

The transmission line current can be represented with a surface current at the lumped
port boundary directed opposite to the electric field.

The impedance of a transmission line is defined as

V
Z = ----
I

and an analogy to this is to define an equivalent surface impedance at the lumped port
boundary

46 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
 E ah
= -------------------------
Js ah

To calculate the surface current density from the current, integrate along the width, w,
of the transmission line

I = n Js dl
= J s a h dl
w w

where the integration is taken in the direction of ah n. This gives the following
relation between the transmission line impedance and the surface impedance

E a h dl E a h dl
V h
Z = ---- = ----------------------------------- = ------------------------------ ----
h h
I w

J s a h dl E a h dl
w w
w
= Z ----
h

where the last approximation assumed that the electric field is constant over the
integrations. A similar relationship can be derived for coaxial cables

2
= Z ----------
b
ln ---
a

The transfer equations above are used in an impedance type boundary condition,
relating surface current density to tangential electric field via the surface impedance.

1 1
n H 1 H 2 + --- n E n = 2 --- n E 0 n

where E is the total field and E0 the incident field, corresponding to the total voltage,
V, and incident voltage, V0, at the port.

When using the lumped port as a circuit port, the port voltage is fed as
input to the circuit and the current computed by the circuit is applied as
a uniform current densitythat is, as a surface current condition. Thus,
Note
an open (unconnected) circuit port is just a continuity condition.

L U M P E D P O R T S W I T H VO L T A G E I N P U T | 47
 Lumped Ports in the RF Module
Not all models can use lumped ports due to the polarization of the fields and how
sources are specified. For the physics interfaces and study types that support the
lumped port, the Lumped Port available as a boundary feature. See Lumped Port for
instructions to set up this feature.

L UMPED PO R T VAR IA BL ES
Each lumped port generates variables that are accessible to the user. Apart from the
S-parameter, a lumped port condition also generates the following variables.

NAME DESCRIPTION

Vport Extracted port voltage

Iport Port current
Zport Port impedance

For example, a lumped port with port number 1, defined in the first geometry, for the
Electromagnetic Waves physics interface with the tag emw, defines the port impedance
variable emw.Zport_1.

RF Coil: Model Library path RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/rf_coil

Model

48 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
E C AD Im po r t
In this section:

Overview of the ECAD Import

Importing ODB++(X) Files
Importing GDS-II Files
Importing NETEX-G Files
ECAD Import Options
Meshing an Imported Geometry
Troubleshooting ECAD Import

Overview of the ECAD Import

This section explains how to import ECAD files into COMSOL Multiphysics. An
ECAD file can, for example, be a 2D layout of a printed circuit board (PCB) that is
imported and converted to a 3D geometry.

EXTRUDING LAYERS
A PCB layout file holds information about all traces in several 2D drawings or layers.
During import, each 2D layer is extruded to a 3D object so that all traces get a valid
thickness. A standard extrude operation requires that the source plane is identical to
the destination plane. This makes it impossible to extrude an entire PCB with several
layers, where the source and destination planes in almost all cases do not match. It is
possible to do several extrude operations, one for each layer. For complex PCBs it is
not easy to put these layers together, and it might take a very long time to go from the
Geometry node to the Material node or a physics interface node in the Model Builder.
In some situations this operation might fail.

As a result of these performance issues, the ECAD Import has its own extrude
operation that automatically connects non matching planes. In one operation this
functionality extrudes and connects all layers, so there is only one geometry object
after the import. With only one object, it is easy to switch to the physics modes. Use
this special extrude operation when using the grouping option All.

ECAD IMPORT | 49
 The special extrude operation is bound to certain rules that the 2D layout must fulfill.
If the 2D layout does not comply with these rules, the operation might fail. Then
switch to one of the other grouping options to import the geometry.

Importing ODB++(X) Files

If your ECAD software supports the ODB++(X) format it is

recommended it is used as it usually gives the most efficient geometry
Tip model of the layout.

The ODB++ file format is a sophisticated format that handles most of the information
needed to manufacture a PCB. Some of the information is not needed when importing
the file and the program ignores such information during import.

ODB++ exists in two different format versions:

A single XML file containing all information organized in a hierarchy of XML tags.
This file format is usually referred to as ODB++(X), and it is the only format that
can be imported into COMSOL Multiphysics.
A directory structure with several files, each containing parts of information about
the PCB. An entire PCB layout is often distributed as zipped or unzipped tar
archives. This version is currently not possible to import.

The ODB++ import reads the layer list and the first step in the file. Multiple step files
are not yet supported. From the first step it reads all the layer features and the board
outline but currently skips all the package information.

EXTRACTING LAYER STACKUP

The import can read stackup information from the ODB++ file, such as thickness for
metal layers and dielectric layers. It is quite common that the layer thickness is not
included in the export from the ECAD program, so the layers only get a default
thickness. The thickness can always be changed prior to import on the Layers to import

50 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
table in the settings window for the ECAD import, so it is recommended that these
values are checked before importing.

Microwave Filter on PCB: Model Library path RF_Module/

RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/pcb_microwave_filter_with_stress
Model

Importing GDS-II Files

The GDS-II file format is commonly used for mask layout production used in the
manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and MEMS devices. The file is a
binary file, containing information about drawing units, geometry objects, and object
drawing hierarchy. The drawing hierarchy is made up of a library of cell definitions,
where each cell can be instantiated (drawn several times) with scaling, translation,
mirroring, and rotation. It is also possible to repeat a cell as an array of drawn objects.
This is very useful for mask layouts of integrated circuits, which often consist of
millions of transistors. There are usually only a few transistor configurations present on
the layout, and each transistor configuration only has to be defined once.

File Extension
The file extension of the GDS-II format is usually .gds, and the ECAD import
requires it to be so, otherwise it cannot identify the file as a GDS-II file. If the file has
a different extension, it must be changed to .gds before importing the file.

SUPPORTED FEATURES
There are several record types in a GDS file that are of no interest in a geometry import
and these are ignored. There are also a few record types that actually could be imported
as a geometry object, but are also ignored. One such example is the Text record, which
produce a lot of mesh elements and is usually of no interest in a simulation. Below is a
list of the supported record types.

Boundary: a closed polyline object

Box: a box object
Path: a path with a thickness
Sref: an instance of a cell that can be translated, rotated, scaled, and mirrored
Aref: an n-by-m array of Sref objects
Element: specification of a cell

ECAD IMPORT | 51
 3D IMPORT OF GDS-II FILES
The GDS-II format does not contain any information about layer thickness and layer
position, so any such information has to be supplied by the user. When importing a
GDS-II file with the ECAD import, it creates a table for all layers included in the file.
In that table it is possible to specify a thickness for each layer and thereby get a 3D
structure. This procedure has a few limitations regarding how the GDS layers are
organized:

One layer represents one position in height, so if the file contains two GDS layers
that define two objects on the same height, the ECAD import still positions the
layers with one layer on top of the other. Several GDS layers on the same height is
common for semiconductor layouts, where the fabrication process includes
deposition followed by etching and then redepositing of a different layer. Such
advanced process schemes cannot be automatically handled correctly by the ECAD
import.
With the grouping option All, objects on adjacent layers must not cross each other,
because the original edge of the objects must be kept unchanged when two adjacent
layers are merged to form the interface between them. You can get around this by
selecting a different grouping option (see ECAD Import).
Use the 3D GDS-II import with the ECAD import. The standard CAD import of
COMSOL Multiphysics does not support pre-reading of the file, so it is not possible
to specify any properties the layers (like thickness for example). The ECAD import
always reads the file before displaying the import options.

The best way to solve any of these issues is to do the import with the grouping option
By layer, and manually rearrange the layers by simple move operations so the elevation
of the layers are correct. You can do etching by removing a layer from other objects,
using the Difference button on the main toolbar or the Difference feature from the
Boolean Operations submenu on the Geometry nodes context menu.

Importing NETEX-G Files

The NETEX-G file format is a special format produced by the application NETEX-G
by Artwork (www.artwork.com). NETEX-G can read Gerber and drill files that almost
any ECAD software can export to because those formats are used when sending the
layout to manufacturing. The output file is an ASCII file with a GDS-like structure,
containing information about the layout of each layer, the layer thickness, vias, and
dielectric layers. The geometry objects are defined and instantiated in the same way as
in a GDS file; see Importing GDS-II Files for a more detailed description.

52 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
File Extension
The file extension of the NETEX-G format is not set, but the ECAD import requires
it to be .asc, otherwise it cannot identify the file as a NETEX-G file. If the file has a
different extension, change the name before importing it. Throughout the rest of this
section, files of this type are referred to as a Netex file.

USING NETEX-G
This is a brief description of the main steps to produce a Netex file for import into
COMSOL Multiphysics. For specific details see the NETEX-G user guide.

GERBER Layer Files

The first type of input files to NETEX-G is a collection of Gerber files, one for each
layer. The ECAD software generates these files when the PCB layout is sent to
manufacturing, but they can also be used for interfacing to other programs like
COMSOL Multiphysics. The layer files do not contain any information about layer
thickness, layer materials, dielectrics, and electrical connectivity (nets). Furthermore, a
standard PCB layout usually consists of a large number of conductors, vias, and
symbols printed in metal that are not important for a finite element simulation. With
NETEX-G the size of the exported layout can be reduced in the following ways:

Defining a region to include in the export. This region is drawn directly on a top
view of the layout.
Exclude entire layers from the layout.
Selecting electrical nets to include in the export in addition to the selected region.
It is also possible to let NETEX-G include nets in the proximity of the selected nets.

Because the Gerber layer files do not contain any physical information about the layer
and dielectrics, this information must be specified in NETEX-G.

Some of these steps can also be done during import to COMSOL Multiphysics, for
example, excluding layers from the import and changing thickness of the layers.

Drill Files
The connectivity between the layers is defined through drilled holes, known as vias. A
via can go through the entire circuit board or just between certain layers. Most ECAD
programs use the Excellon drill file format to specify the vias, which contains
information about via diameter and position. Before generating the final output file
from NETEX-G, it is necessary to convert all drill files to Gerber format and include
them to the export project in NETEX-G. For each drill file, it is also necessary to
specify between which layers the hole goes. Within NETEX-G a tool can be called that

ECAD IMPORT | 53
 directly converts the Excellon drill format into Gerber. After the conversion, also
specify the source and destination layers for the drill file.

NETEX-G Export Settings

To reduce the complexity of the output file it is recommended that vias are exported
as circles and not as polygon chains. Although the arc recognition utility can detect
these polygons, the former option is a bit more robust.

IMPORTING WIREBONDS
The Netex file can contain information about wirebonds or bond wires. Including
wirebonds in the geometry often increases the problem size significantly. To get more
control over the problem size, control the complexity of the imported wires.

Types of Wirebonds
The ECAD import can model the wirebond at three different complexity levels:

As geometrical edges. This is the simplest form, which works well when the current
in the wires is known.
As solids with a square-shaped cross section. This cross section often produces fewer
mesh elements than when using a circular cross section and is also easier for the
geometry engine to analyze.
As solids with a circular cross section.

Wirebonds Models
The Netex file format supports wirebonds models according to the JEDEC standard.
It is possible to define the wirebond as a JEDEC3 or a JEDEC4 model. These models
define the bond wire as 3- or 4-segment paths with user-supplied coordinates and
elevations. In a Netex file the bond wire goes from a layer to a special die layer,
representing the semiconductor die.

Wirebonds are currently not supported with the grouping option set to
All. Using this option ignores all wirebonds.
Important

54 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
ECAD Import Options

ECAD IMPORT
Most PCB layout files mainly contain definitions of 2D objects. The Netex file also
contains information about wirebonds. The ECAD import engine first creates the 2D
objects for each layer, possibly grouped as one object. Then it extrudes all the objects
in each layer according to the information in the file. GDS files contain no information
about thickness, so a default value of 100 m is used for all layers. The ECAD Import
allows the layer thickness to be changed prior to import. Another alternative is to first
import the objects into 2D and then manually extrude them to 3D.

Right-click the Geometry node to add an Import node. Under Geometry import in the
Import section, decide the type of CAD file to importECAD file (GDS/NETEX-G) or ECAD
file (ODB++). Enter the path to the file or click Browse to locate the file to import.
Before clicking the Import button consider the import options described below.

THE ECAD IMPORT OPTIONS

There are a number of settings that control how to treat the information in the layout
file. The content of this section depends on the file type to be imported.

For GDS and NETEX-G files, enter a net name in the Net to import (blank means top
net) field if you want to import a single electrical net beneath the top net in the
hierarchy. Leave this field empty to import the top net (top cell). (In GDS files, the
standard terminology is cell instead of net, but structurally they mean the same thing.)

The Grouping of geometries list specifies how the imported geometry objects are
grouped in the final geometry. The choices for 3D import are:

All. Groups all objects into one single object. This selection makes use of a more
efficient extrude algorithm that extrudes and combines all layers directly. Because
the import results in only one geometry object, COMSOL Multiphysics does not
need to do a complicated analysis of several geometry objects.
By layer. Groups all objects in one layer into one geometry object. The final
geometry contains one object for each layer.
No grouping. No grouping of objects is performed. This can be useful for debugging
purposes when the other choices fail for some reason. This selection returns all the
primitive objects found in the file, so objects with negative polarity are not drawn
correctly.

ECAD IMPORT | 55
 The Type of import list specifies how to treat metal layers. The Full 3D option imports
all metal layers with a thickness. Select the Metal shell options if you want to import all
metal layers as an embedded boundary between dielectric regions.

For NETEX-G files, bond wires or wirebonds can be imported using three different
complexity levels. Choose the level from the Type of bond wires list:

Edges. The path of the bond wire is represented only as a geometrical edge. This
option has the least complexity and does not produce a large number of mesh
elements. There might be some limitations when using these edges in modeling.
Blocks. The bond wire is modeled as a solid with a square cross section.
Cylinders. Same as above but with a circular cross section.

Select the Manual control of elevations check box to manually position the layers in the
z direction. This check box is enabled when Grouping of geometries is set to By layer or
No grouping. When Manual control of elevations is not enabled, the z positions of the
layers are calculated automatically from the layer Thickness values.

The layer information from the file appears in the Layers to import table. In addition
to the layer Name, the table includes the following columns:

The Type column. This column declares the type of layer. The import treats layers
of different types differently. For example, a layer of type Metal converts to faces if
the option Type of import is set to Metal shell. The Outline type uses a union of the
objects in the selected layer as a PCB outline. For ODB++ files, the Drill type means
that the objects in the layer define drilled via holes through the PCB. For NETEX-G
files, the vias are defined within each metal and dielectric layer.
The numbers in the Thickness column can be changed.

The Thickness column is especially important when importing GDS files

because that format does not contain any thickness information, so all
Important layers get a default thickness that you probably want to change.

56 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
 The number in the Elevation column can be changed. The Elevation column controls
the lower Z position of a layer. The Elevation column is only displayed when Manual
control of elevations is enabled.
The Import column. Clear the check box for layers that do not need to be imported.

If the Metal shells import type is used, isolated boundaries cannot be

imported if the import also includes another solid layer. Then two
imports must be performed. The only exception to this rule is when the
Note
import results in only face objects.

In most electromagnetic simulations the material between the metal layers is important
for the simulation result. For NETEX-G/GDS import, the Import dielectric regions
check box controls if the import engine also includes the dielectric layers, which in
most cases are the actual PCB materials. An ODB++ file usually has the outline of the
PCB board defined in the file. If a NETEX-G file or a GDS file is imported, it is
possible to define the PCB outline using left, right, top, and bottom margins for the
dielectric material. They define the distance between the exterior of the PCB and the
bounding box of all metal layers. The Import dielectric regions check box is disabled
when Manual control of elevations is enabled.

With the Keep interior boundaries check box cleared, the import removes all interior
boundaries of the imported nets. This keeps the geometry complexity to a minimum
and can also make the import more robust in some situations.

Clearing the Ignore text objects check box tells the importer to skip all objects in an
ODB++ file that have the TEXT tag set. It is common that PCB layouts have text
written in copper. Such objects increase the problem size and are usually of no interest
in a physical simulation.

For NETEX-G/GDS import, other options that can significantly reduce the
complexity of imported layouts are the recognition of arcs and straight lines. With the
Recognize arcs set to Automatic, all polygon chains that represent arcs are identified and
replaced with more efficient curve objects. With the fields appearing when setting this
to Manual, the arc recognition can be fine tuned. The Find straight lines check box also
controls whether to convert several polygon segments that lie on a single straight line
into a single straight segment. This option uses the number in the Minimum angle
between segments field to determine if a group of segments lies on the same straight
line.

ECAD IMPORT | 57
 Geometry repair is controlled via the Repair imported data check box and the Relative
repair tolerance field.

Meshing an Imported Geometry

Creating Meshes and Generating a 3D Swept Mesh in the COMSOL

Multiphysics Users Guide and Convert in the COMSOL Multiphysics
See Also Reference Guide.

The imported geometry often consists of objects with very high aspect ratios, which
are hard to mesh with a free tetrahedron mesh generator. As a result, it is often
necessary to use interactive meshing of the imported geometry in a by-layer fashion.

The following section describes this procedure in general terms.

This procedure assumes that the top and bottom layers are metal layers. All metal layers
can often be meshed using swept meshing, but dielectric layers usually cannot be
meshed that way. Begin by meshing from the bottom or top layer, starting with a
boundary mesh. Then mesh layer by layer, where each metal layer gets a swept mesh,
and each dielectric layer (with vias) gets a free mesh.

The dielectric layers cannot use a swept mesh because the source and target boundaries
usually do not look the same. If there is a surrounding air domain it is usually not
possible to use swept meshes for the metal layers either. Use tetrahedrons or convert
the swept mesh to tetrahedrons before meshing the surrounding domain.

Troubleshooting ECAD Import

TU N I N G I M P O R T S E T T I N G S

Delete Interior Edges

A complex layout produces a large number of faces that can be hard to render. A simple
way to reduce the number of faces is to clear the Keep interior boundaries check box in
the ECAD import options. This removes all faces internal to the nets within a layer.

Removing Features
Remove all features that are not important for the simulation. This is usually best to
do before the import in NETEX-G or in the ECAD software. When importing with

58 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
Grouping of geometries set to None it is possible to manually delete certain objects after
import, but it is recommended to do this only for relatively simple geometries.

PROBLEMS WHEN EXTRUDING LAYERS

Most ECAD or EDA programs support design rule checks (DRC), which test the
entire layout and check that all features (vias, conductors, and components) are
separated according to certain rules. With such checks the layout is free from
overlapping vias and conductors touching other conductors or vias. This also ensures
that the special extrude functionality of the ECAD import works properly. If the file
contains such design-rule violations, the extrude might fail and throw an error message
stating that it could not handle the topology of the layout.

The best approach to handle such problems is to perform a DRC with your ECAD
software and produce new layout files. If this is not possible, import the layout in 2D
and try to identify the problematic features. They can either be in a single layer or at
the interface between two adjacent layers. When identified, it is possible to remove
them manually using a text editor if a NETEX-G file or an ODB++ file is being
imported. It can be hard to find a certain feature, but use either the coordinate or the
net information to find it. The GDS format is a binary file format so it is very difficult
to edit the file manually.

PROBLEMS WITH SEVERAL GEOMETRY OBJECTS

If the special extrude functionality is not used, you get several geometry objects, for
example, one for each layer if By layer is selected from the Grouping of geometries list.
After a CAD import COMSOL Multiphysics is in the Geometry branch of the model
tree. When you continue to the Materials branch if the model tree or to a physics
interface node or the Mesh branch, the program tries to combine all the objects into
one geometry, and this operation might fail if the objects are very complex and have
high aspect rations. Resolve this either by trying the option All in the Grouping of
geometries list. This creates one combined geometry object by using the special
extrude functionality, and with only one object this.

Another possibility is to use assemblies, because then COMSOL Multiphysics does not
have to combine the objects (parts). This is controlled by the Finalize node in the
Geometry branch of the model tree. When using an assembly, use identity pairs to
connect the interfaces between the layers.

As a final option, do not import the dielectric layers. The import then leaves isolated
metal layers that have to connect with coupling variables.

ECAD IMPORT | 59
 Lossy Eigenvalue Calculations
In mode analysis and eigenfrequency analysis, it is usually the primary goal to find a
propagation constant or an eigenfrequency. These quantities are often real valued
although it is not necessary. If the analysis involves some lossy part, like a nonzero
conductivity or an open boundary, the eigenvalue is complex. In such situations, the
eigenvalue is interpreted as two parts (1) the propagation constant or eigenfrequency
and (2) the damping in space and time.

Lossy Circular Waveguide: Model Library path RF_Module/

Tutorial_Models/lossy_circular_waveguide
Model

In this section:

Eigenfrequency Analysis
Mode Analysis

Eigenfrequency Analysis

This study type is available for all physics interfaces in the RF Module.
Note

The eigenfrequency analysis solves for the eigenfrequency of a model. The

time-harmonic representation of the fields is more general and includes a complex
parameter in the phase

jt t
E r t = Re E r T e = Re E r e

where the eigenvalue, ()j, has an imaginary part representing the

eigenfrequency, and a real part responsible for the damping. It is often more common
to use the quality factor or Q-factor, which is derived from the eigenfrequency and
damping

60 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING

Q fact = ---------
2

VA R I A BL E S A F F E C T E D BY E I G E N F RE Q U E N C Y A N A L Y S I S
The following list shows the variables that the eigenfrequency analysis affects:

NAME EXPRESSION CAN BE COMPLEX DESCRIPTION

omega imag(-lambda) No Angular frequency

damp real(lambda) No Damping in time
Qfact 0.5*omega/abs(damp) No Quality factor
nu omega/(2*pi) No Frequency

NONLINEAR EIGENFREQUENCY PROBLEMS

For some combinations of formulation, material parameters, and boundary conditions,
the eigenfrequency problem can be nonlinear, which means that the eigenvalue enters
the equations in another form than the expected second-order polynomial form. The
following table lists those combinations:

SOLVE FOR CRITERION BOUNDARY CONDITION

E Nonzero conductivity Impedance boundary condition

E Nonzero conductivity at Scattering boundary condition
adjacent domain
E Analytical ports Port boundary condition

These situations require special treatment, especially since it can lead to singular
matrix or undefined value messages if not treated correctly. The complication is not
only the nonlinearity itself, it is also the way it enters the equations. For example the
impedance boundary conditions with nonzero boundary conductivity has the term

0 0 rbnd
------------------------------------------ n n H
bnd
rbnd + -----------------
0

where ()j. When the solver starts to solve the eigenfrequency problem it
linearizes the entire formulation with respect to the eigenvalue around a certain
linearization point. By default this linearization point is zero, which leads to a division
by zero in the expression above. To avoid this problem and also to give a suitable initial
guess for the nonlinear eigenvalue problem, it is necessary to provide a good
linearization point for the eigenvalue solver. Do this in the Eigenvalue node (not the

LOSSY EIGENVALUE CALCULATIONS | 61

 Eigenfrequency node) under the Solver Sequence node in the Study branch of the
model tree. A solver sequence may need to be generated first. In the Linearization Point
section, select the Transform point check box and enter a suitable value in the Point
field. For example, it is known that the eigenfrequency is close to 1 GHz, enter the
eigenvalue 1[GHz] in the field.

In many cases it is enough to specify a good linearization point and then solve the
problem once. If a more accurate eigenvalue is needed, an iterative scheme is necessary:

1 Specify that the eigenvalue solver only search for one eigenvalue. Do this either for
an existing solver sequence in the Eigenvalue node or, before generating a solver
sequence, in the Eigenfrequency node.
2 Solve the problem with a good linearization point. As the eigenvalues shift, use
the same value with the real part removed.
3 Extract the eigenvalue from the solution and update the linearization point and the
shift.
4 Repeat until the eigenvalue does not change more than a desired tolerance.

Solvers and Study Types in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

See Also

Mode Analysis
In mode analysis and boundary mode analysis COMSOL Multiphysics solves for the
propagation constant, which is possible for the Perpendicular Waves and
Boundary-Mode Analysis problem types. The time-harmonic representation is almost
the same as for the eigenfrequency analysis, but with a known propagation in the
out-of-plane direction

jt jz jt z
E r t = Re E r T e = Re E r e

The spatial parameter, zj, can have a real part and an imaginary part. The
propagation constant is equal to the imaginary part, and the real part, z, represents
the damping along the propagation direction.

62 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
VA R I A BL E S I N F L U E N C E D BY M O D E A N A L Y S I S
The following table lists the variables that are influenced by the mode analysis:

NAME EXPRESSION CAN BE COMPLEX DESCRIPTION

beta imag(-lambda) No Propagation constant

dampz real(-lambda) No Attenuation constant
dampzdB 20*log10(exp(1))* No Attenuation per meter in dB
dampz
neff j*lambda/k0 Yes Effective mode index

LOSSY EIGENVALUE CALCULATIONS | 63

 Connecting to Electrical Circuits
In this section:

About Connecting Electrical Circuits to Physics Interfaces

Connecting Electrical Circuits Using Predefined Couplings
Connecting Electrical Circuits by User-Defined Couplings

Connecting a 3D Electromagnetic Wave Model to an Electrical Circuit:

Model Library path RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/
Model coaxial_cable_circuit

About Connecting Electrical Circuits to Physics Interfaces

This section describes the various ways electrical circuits can be connected to other
physics interfaces in COMSOL Multiphysics. If you are not familiar with circuit
modeling, it is recommended that you review the Theory for the Electrical Circuit
Interface.

In general electrical circuits connect to other physics interfaces via one or more of three
special circuit features:

External I vs. U
External U vs. I
External I-Terminal

64 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
These features either accept a voltage measurement from the connecting non-circuit
physics interface and return a current from the circuit interface or the other way
around.

The External features are considered ideal current or voltage sources

by the Electrical Circuit interface. Hence, you cannot connect them
directly in parallel (voltage sources) or in series (current sources) with
other ideal sources. This results in the error message The DAE is
Note structurally inconsistent. A workaround is to provide a suitable parallel
or series resistor which can be tuned to minimize its influence on the
results.

Connecting Electrical Circuits Using Predefined Couplings

In addition to these circuit features, physics interfaces in the AC/DC Module, RF
Module, MEMS Module, and Plasma Module (the modules that include the Electrical
Circuit interface) also contain features that provide couplings to the Electrical Circuit
interface by accepting a voltage or a current from one of the specific circuit features
(External I vs. U, External U vs. I, and External I-Terminal).

This coupling is typically activated when:

A choice is made in the settings window for the non-circuit physics interface feature,
which then announces (that is, includes) the coupling to the Electrical Circuit
interface. Its voltage or current is then included to make it visible to the connecting
circuit feature.
A voltage or current that has been announced (that is, included) is selected in a
feature nodes settings window.

These circuit connections are supported in Lumped Ports.

Connecting Electrical Circuits by User-Defined Couplings

A more general way to connect a physics interface to the Electrical Circuit interface is
to:

Apply the voltage or current from the connecting External circuit feature as an
excitation in the non-circuit physics interface.

CONNECTING TO ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS | 65

 Define your own voltage or current measurement in the non-circuit physics
interface using variables, coupling operators and so forth.
In the settings window for the Electrical Circuit interface feature, selecting the
User-defined option and entering the name of the variable or expression using
coupling operators defined in the previous step.

D E T E R M I N I N G A C U R R E N T O R VO L T A G E VA R I A B L E N A M E
To determine a current or voltage variable name, it may be necessary to look at the
Dependent Variables node under the Study node. To do this:

1 In the Model Builder, right-click the Study node and select Show Default Solver.
2 Expand the Solver>Dependent Variables node and click the state node, in this
example, mod1Ode1. The variable name is shown on the State settings window.

Typically, voltage variables are named cir.Xn_v and current variables

cir.Xn_i, where n is the External device number, that is, 1, 2, and
Tip so on.

66 | CHAPTER 2: RF MODELING
 3

Electromagnetics Theory

This chapter contains a review of the basic theory of electromagnetics, starting

with Maxwells equations, and the theory for some special calculations:
S-parameters, lumped port parameters, and far-field analysis. There is also a list of
electromagnetic quantities with their SI units and symbols.

In this chapter:

Maxwells Equations
Special Calculations
Electromagnetic Quantities

See also:

Theory for the Electromagnetic Waves Interfaces

Theory for the Electrical Circuit Interface
Theory for the Heat Transfer Interfaces in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users
Guide

67
 Maxwells Equations
In this section:

Introduction to Maxwells Equations

Constitutive Relations
Potentials
Electromagnetic Energy
Material Properties
Boundary and Interface Conditions
Phasors

Introduction to Maxwells Equations

The problem of electromagnetic analysis on a macroscopic level is the problem of
solving Maxwells equations subject to certain boundary conditions. Maxwells
equations are a set of equations, written in differential or integral form, stating the
relationships between the fundamental electromagnetic quantities. These quantities
are the electric field intensity E, the electric displacement or electric flux density D,
the magnetic field intensity H, the magnetic flux density B, the current density J
and the electric charge density .

The equations can be formulated in differential or integral form. The differential form
are presented here, because it leads to differential equations that the finite element
method can handle. For general time-varying fields, Maxwells equations can be
written as

D
H = J + -------
t
B
E = -------
t
D =
B = 0

The first two equations are also referred to as Maxwell-Ampres law and Faradays
law, respectively. Equation three and four are two forms of Gauss law, the electric and
magnetic form, respectively.

68 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

Another fundamental equation is the equation of continuity, which can be written as

J = ------
t

Out of the five equations mentioned, only three are independent. The first two
combined with either the electric form of Gauss law or the equation of continuity
form such an independent system.

Constitutive Relations
To obtain a closed system, the constitutive relations describing the macroscopic
properties of the medium, are included. They are given as

D = 0 E + P
B = 0 H + M
J = E
Here 0 is the permittivity of vacuum, 0 is the permeability of vacuum, and the
electrical conductivity. In the SI system, the permeability of vacuum is chosen to be
4107 H/m. The velocity of an electromagnetic wave in vacuum is given as c0 and
the permittivity of vacuum is derived from the relation

1 12 1 9
0 = ----------
2
= 8.854 10 F/m --------- 10 F/m
c0 0 36

The electric polarization vector P describes how the material is polarized when an
electric field E is present. It can be interpreted as the volume density of electric dipole
moments. P is generally a function of E. Some materials can have a nonzero P also
when there is no electric field present.

The magnetization vector M similarly describes how the material is magnetized when
a magnetic field H is present. It can be interpreted as the volume density of magnetic
dipole moments. M is generally a function of H. Permanent magnets, for instance, have
a nonzero M also when there is no magnetic field present.

For linear materials, the polarization is directly proportional to the electric field,
P0eE, where e is the electric susceptibility. Similarly in linear materials, the
magnetization is directly proportional to the magnetic field, MmH, where m is the
magnetic susceptibility. For such materials, the constitutive relations can be written

M A X W E L L S E Q U A T I O N S | 69
 D = 0 1 + e E = 0 r E = E
B = 0 1 + m H = 0 r H = H

The parameter r is the relative permittivity and r is the relative permeability of the
material. These are usually scalar properties but they can, for a general anisotropic
material, be 3-by-3 tensors. The properties and (without subscripts) are the
permittivity and permeability of the material.

GENERALIZED CONSTITUTIVE RELATIONS

Generalized forms of the constitutive relations are well suited for modeling nonlinear
materials. The relation used for the electric fields is

D = 0 r E + Dr

The field Dr is the remanent displacement, which is the displacement when no electric
field is present.

Similarly, a generalized form of the constitutive relation for the magnetic field is

B = 0 r H + Br

where Br is the remanent magnetic flux density, which is the magnetic flux density
when no magnetic field is present.

The relation defining the current density is generalized by introducing an externally

generated current Je. The resulting constitutive relation is

e
J = E + J

Potentials
Under certain circumstances it can be helpful to formulate the problems in terms of
the electric scalar potential V and the magnetic vector potential A. They are given
by the equalities

B = A
A
E = V -------
t

The defining equation for the magnetic vector potential is a direct consequence of the
magnetic Gauss law. The electric potential results from Faradays law.

70 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

In the magnetostatic case where there are no currents present, Maxwell-Ampres law
reduces to H0. When this holds, it is also possible to define a magnetic scalar
potential Vm by the relation

H = V m

Electromagnetic Energy
The electric and magnetic energies are defined as

D T
D
We = 0 E dD dV =
0 E ------- dt dV
V V t
B T
B
Wm = V 0 H dB dV = V 0 H ------
t
- dt dV

The time derivatives of these expressions are the electric and magnetic power

D
Pe = V E -------
t
dV

B
Pm = V H ------
t
- dV

These quantities are related to the resistive and radiative energy, or energy loss,
through Poyntings theorem (Ref. 3)

D B
V E -------
t
+ H ------- dV = J E dV + E H n dS
t V S
where V is the computation domain and S is the closed boundary of V.

The first term on the right-hand side represents the resistive losses,

Ph = V J E dV
which result in heat dissipation in the material. (The current density J in this
expression is the one appearing in Maxwell-Ampres law.)

The second term on the right-hand side of Poyntings theorem represents the radiative
losses,

M A X W E L L S E Q U A T I O N S | 71
 Pr =
S E H n dS
The quantity SEH is called the Poynting vector.

Under the assumption the material is linear and isotropic, it holds that

D E
E ------- = E ------- = --- E E
1
t t t 2
B B
H ------- = --- B ------- = ------- B B
1 1
t t t 2

By interchanging the order of differentiation and integration (justified by the fact that
the volume is constant and the assumption that the fields are continuous in time), this
equation results:

V --2- E E + ------
- B B dV =
1 1

t 2 V J E dV + S E H n dS
The integrand of the left-hand side is the total electromagnetic energy density

1 1
w = w e + w m = --- E E + ------- B B
2 2

Material Properties
Until now, there has only been a formal introduction of the constitutive relations.
These seemingly simple relations can be quite complicated at times. There are four
main groups of materials where they require some consideration. A given material can
belong to one or more of these groups. The groups are:

Inhomogeneous materials
Anisotropic materials
Nonlinear materials
Dispersive materials

The least complicated of the groups above is that of the inhomogeneous materials. An
inhomogeneous medium is one where the constitutive parameters vary with the space
coordinates, so that different field properties prevail at different parts of the material
structure.

72 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

For anisotropic materials, the field relations at any point are different for different
directions of propagation. This means that a 3-by-3 tensor is required to properly
define the constitutive relations. If this tensor is symmetric, the material is often
referred to as reciprocal. In these cases, the coordinate system can be rotated in such
a way that a diagonal matrix is obtained. If two of the diagonal entries are equal, the
material is uniaxially anisotropic. If none of the elements have the same value, the
material is biaxially anisotropic (Ref. 2). An example where anisotropic parameters are
used is for the permittivity in crystals (Ref. 2).

Nonlinearity is the effect of variations in permittivity or permeability with the intensity

of the electromagnetic field. This also includes hysteresis effects, where not only the
current field intensities influence the physical properties of the material, but also the
history of the field distribution.

Finally, dispersion describes changes in the velocity of the wave with wavelength. In
the frequency domain, dispersion is expressed by a frequency dependence in the
constitutive laws.

Boundary and Interface Conditions

To get a full description of an electromagnetic problem, specify boundary conditions
at material interfaces and physical boundaries. At interfaces between two media, the
boundary conditions can be expressed mathematically as

n2 E1 E2 = 0
n2 D1 D 2 = s
n2 H1 H2 = Js
n2 B1 B2 = 0

where s and Js denote surface charge density and surface current density,
respectively, and n2 is the outward normal from medium 2. Of these four conditions,
only two are independent. One of the first and the fourth equations, together with one
of the second and third equations, form a set of two independent conditions.

A consequence of the above is the interface condition for the current density,

s
n 2 J 1 J 2 = --------
t

M A X W E L L S E Q U A T I O N S | 73
 INTERFACE BETWEEN A DIELECTRIC AND A PERFECT CONDUCTO R
A perfect conductor has infinite electrical conductivity and thus no internal electric
field. Otherwise, it would produce an infinite current density according to the third
fundamental constitutive relation. At an interface between a dielectric and a perfect
conductor, the boundary conditions for the E and D fields are simplified. If, say,
subscript 1 corresponds to the perfect conductor, then D10 and E10 in the
relations above. For the general time-varying case, it holds that B10 and H10 as
well (as a consequence of Maxwells equations). What remains is the following set of
boundary conditions for time-varying fields in the dielectric medium.

n2 E2 = 0
n2 H2 = Js
n2 D2 = s
n2 B2 = 0

Phasors
Whenever a problem is time-harmonic the fields can be written in the form

E r t = E r cos t +

Instead of using a cosine function for the time dependence, it is more convenient to
use an exponential function, by writing the field as

j jt jt
E r t = E r cos t + = Re E r e e = Re E r e

The field E r is a phasor (phase vector), which contains amplitude and phase
information of the field but is independent of t. One thing that makes the use of
phasors suitable is that a time derivative corresponds to a multiplication by j,

------
E- jt
= Re jE r e
t

This means that an equation for the phasor can be derived from a time-dependent
equation by replacing the time derivatives by a factor j. All time-harmonic equations

74 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

 in this module are expressed as equations for the phasors. (The tilde is dropped from
the variable denoting the phasor.)

When looking at the solution of a time-harmonic equation, it is important

to remember that the field that has been calculated is a phasor and not a
Important physical field.

For example, all plot functions visualize

Re E r

by default, which is E at time t = 0. To obtain the solution at a given time, specify a

phase factor when evaluating and visualizing the results.

M A X W E L L S E Q U A T I O N S | 75
 Special Calculations
In this section:

S-Parameter Calculations
Lumped Port Parameters
Far-Field Calculations Theory
References

S-Parameter Calculations
For high-frequency problems, voltage is not a well-defined entity, and it is necessary
to define the scattering parameters (S-parameter) in terms of the electric field. To
convert an electric field pattern on a port to a scalar complex number corresponding
to the voltage in transmission line theory an eigenmode expansion of the
electromagnetic fields on the ports needs to be performed. Assume that an eigenmode
analyses has been performed on the ports 1, 2, 3, and that the electric field patterns
E1, E2, E3, of the fundamental modes on these ports are known. Further, assume
that the fields are normalized with respect to the integral of the power flow across each
port cross section, respectively. This normalization is frequency dependent unless
TEM modes are being dealt with. The port excitation is applied using the fundamental
eigenmode. The computed electric field Ec on the port consists of the excitation plus
the reflected field. The S-parameters are given by

76 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY


*
E c E 1 E 1 dA 1
S 11 = port 1
---------------------------------------------------------------
-

*
E 1 E 1 dA 1
port 1

*
E c E 2 dA 2
port 2
S 21 = ----------------------------------------------
-

*
E 2 E 2 dA 2
port 2

*
E c E 3 dA 3
port 3
S 31 = ----------------------------------------------
-

*
E 3 E 3 dA 3
port 3

and so on. To get S22 and S12, excite port number 2 in the same way.

S - P A R A M E T E R S I N TE R M S O F POW E R F L OW
For a guiding structure in single mode operation, it is also possible to interpret the
S-parameters in terms of the power flow through the ports. Such a definition is only
the absolute value of the S-parameters defined in the previous section and does not
have any phase information.

The definition of the S-parameters in terms of the power flow is

Power reflected from port 1-

S 11 = ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Power incident on port 1
Power delivered to port 2-
S 21 = ----------------------------------------------------------------
Power incident on port 1

S 31 = Power delivered to port 3-

----------------------------------------------------------------
Power incident on port 1

POWER FLOW NORMALIZATION

The fields E1, E2, E3, and so on, should be normalized such that they represent the
same power flow through the respective ports. The power flow is given by the
time-average Poynting vector,

1 *
S av = --- Re E H
2

SPECIAL CALCULATIONS | 77
 The amount of power flowing out of a port is given by the normal component of the
Poynting vector,

1 *
n S av = n --- Re E H
2

Below the cutoff frequency the power flow is zero, which implies that it is not possible
to normalize the field with respect to the power flow below the cutoff frequency. But
in this region the S-parameters are trivial and do not need to be calculated.

In the following subsections the power flow is expressed directly in terms of the electric
field for TE, TM, and TEM waves.

TE Waves
For TE waves it holds that

E = Z TE n H

where ZTE is the wave impedance

Z TE = -------

is the angular frequency of the wave, the permeability, and the propagation
constant. The power flow then becomes

1 * 1 * 1 2
n S av = --- n Re E H = --- Re E n H = -------------- E
2 2 2Z TE

TM Waves
For TM waves it holds that

1
H = ----------- n E
Z TM

where ZTM is the wave impedance

Z TM = -------

and is the permittivity. The power flow then becomes

78 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

 1 * 1 *
n S av = --- n Re E H = --------------- n Re E n E
2 2Z TM
1 2
= --------------- n E
2Z TM

TEM Waves
For TEM waves it holds that

1
H = --------------- n E
Z TEM

where ZTEM is the wave impedance

Z TEM = ---

The power flow then becomes

1 * 1 2 1 2
n S av = --- n Re E H = ------------------ n E = ------------------ E
2 2Z TEM 2Z TEM

where the last equality holds because the electric field is tangential to the port.

Lumped Port Parameters

In transmission line theory voltages and currents are dealt with rather than electric and
magnetic fields, so the lumped port provides an interface between them. The
requirement on a lumped port is that the feed point must be similar to a transmission
line feed, so its gap must be much less than the wavelength. It is then possible to define
the electric field from the voltage as

V = E dl = E ah dl
h h

SPECIAL CALCULATIONS | 79
 where h is a line between the terminals at the beginning of the transmission line, and
the integration is going from positive (phase) V to ground. The current is positive
going into the terminal at positive V.

I
+V
Js E h
Ground

n
Lumped port boundary

The transmission line current can be represented with a surface current at the lumped
port boundary directed opposite to the electric field.

The impedance of a transmission line is defined as

V
Z = ----
I

and in analogy to this an equivalent surface impedance is defined at the lumped port
boundary

E ah
= -------------------------
Js ah

To calculate the surface current density from the current, integrate along the width, w,
of the transmission line

I = n Js dl
= J s a h dl
w w

where the integration is taken in the direction of ah n. This gives the following
relation between the transmission line impedance and the surface impedance

E a h dl E a h dl
V h
Z = ---- = ----------------------------------- = ------------------------------ ----
h h
I w

J s a h dl E ah dl
w w
w
= Z ----
h

80 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

where the last approximation assumed that the electric field is constant over the
integrations. A similar relationship can be derived for coaxial cables

2
= Z ----------
b
ln ---
a

The transfer equations above are used in an impedance type boundary condition,
relating surface current density to tangential electric field via the surface impedance.

1 1
n H 1 H 2 + --- n E n = 2 --- n E 0 n

where E is the total field and E0 the incident field, corresponding to the total voltage,
V, and incident voltage, V0, at the port.

When using the lumped port as a circuit port, the port voltage is fed as
input to the circuit and the current computed by the circuit is applied as
a uniform current density, that is as a surface current condition. Thus, an
Note
open (unconnected) circuit port is just a continuity condition.

Far-Field Calculations Theory

The far electromagnetic field from, for example, antennas can be calculated from the
near field using the Stratton-Chu formula. In 3D, this is:

jk

E p = ------ r 0 n E r 0 n H exp jkr r 0 dS
4

and in 2D it looks slightly different:

jk
Ep =
4
------ r 0 n E r 0 n H exp jkr r 0 dS

In both cases, for scattering problems, the far field in COMSOL is identical to what in
physics is known as the scattering amplitude.

The antenna is located in the vicinity of the origin, while the far-field point p is taken
at infinity but with a well-defined angular position .

In the above formulas,

E and H are the fields on the aperturethe surface S enclosing the antenna.

SPECIAL CALCULATIONS | 81
 r0 is the unit vector pointing from the origin to the field point p. If the field points
lie on a spherical surface S', r0 is the unit normal to S'.
n is the unit normal to the surface S.
is the impedance:

k is the wave number.

is the wavelength.
r is the radius vector (not a unit vector) of the surface S.
Ep is the calculated far field at point p.

The unit vector r0 can also be interpreted as the direction defined by the angular
position , so Ep is the far field for this direction.

Because the far field is calculated in free space, the magnetic field at the far-field point
is given by

r0 Ep
H p = -------------------
0

The Poynting vector gives the power flow of the far field:

* 2
r 0 S = r 0 Re E p H p E p

Thus the far-field radiation pattern is given by Ep2.

References
1. D.K. Cheng, Field and Wave Electromagnetics, 2nd ed., Addison-Wesley, 1991.

2. Jianming Jin, The Finite Element Method in Electromagnetics, 2nd ed.,

Wiley-IEEE Press, 2002.

3. A. Kovetz, The Principles of Electromagnetic Theory, Cambridge University Press,

1990.

4. O. Wilson, Introduction to Theory and Design of Sonar Transducers, Peninsula

Publishing, 1988.

R.K. Wangsness, Electromagnetic Fields, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 1986.

82 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

Electromagnetic Quantities
The table below shows the symbol and SI unit for most of the physical quantities that
appear in the RF Module.
TABLE 3-1: ELECTROMAGNETIC QUANTITIES

QUANTITY SYMBOL UNIT ABBREVIATION

Angular frequency radian/second rad/s

Attenuation constant meter-1 m-1
Capacitance C farad F
Charge q coulomb C
2
Charge density (surface) s coulomb/meter C/m2
3
Charge density (volume) coulomb/meter C/m3
Current I ampere A
Current density (surface) Js ampere/meter A/m
2
Current density (volume) J ampere/meter A/m2
2
Electric displacement D coulomb/meter C/m2
Electric field E volt/meter V/m
Electric potential V volt V
Electric susceptibility e (dimensionless)
Electrical conductivity siemens/meter S/m
Energy density W joule/meter3 J/m3
Force F newton N
Frequency hertz Hz
Impedance Z, ohm
Inductance L henry H
Magnetic field H ampere/meter A/m
Magnetic flux weber Wb
Magnetic flux density B tesla T
Magnetic potential (scalar) Vm ampere A
Magnetic potential (vector) A weber/meter Wb/m
Magnetic susceptibility m (dimensionless)
Magnetization M ampere/meter A/m

ELECTROMAGNETIC QUANTITIES | 83
 TABLE 3-1: ELECTROMAGNETIC QUANTITIES

QUANTITY SYMBOL UNIT ABBREVIATION

Permeability henry/meter H/m

Permittivity farad/meter F/m
Polarization P coulomb/meter2 C/m2
Poynting vector S watt/meter2 W/m2
Propagation constant radian/meter rad/m
Reactance X ohm
Relative permeability r (dimensionless)
Relative permittivity r (dimensionless)
Resistance R ohm W
Resistive loss Q watt/meter3 W/m3
Torque T newton-meter Nm
Velocity v meter/second m/s
Wavelength meter m
Wave number k radian/meter rad/m

84 | CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETICS THEORY

 4

The Radio Frequency Branch

This chapter reviews the physics interfaces in the RF Module, which are under the
Radio Frequency branch ( ) in the Model Wizard.

In this chapter:

The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface

The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface
The Transmission Line Interface
Theory for the Electromagnetic Waves Interfaces
Theory for the Transmission Line Interface

85
 The Electromagnetic Waves,
Frequency Domain Interface
The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain interface ( ), found under the Radio
Frequency branch ( ) in the Model Wizard, solves the electric field based
time-harmonic wave equation, which is strictly valid for linear media only.

The physics interface supports the study types Frequency domain, Eigenfrequency,
Mode analysis, and Boundary mode analysis. The frequency domain study type is used
for source driven simulations for a single frequency or a sequence of frequencies. The
Eigenfrequency study type is used to find resonance frequencies and their associated
eigenmodes in cavity problems.

The Mode analysis study type is applicable only for 2D cross-sections of

waveguides and transmission lines where it is used to find allowed
2D propagating modes.

Boundary mode analysis is used for the same purpose in 3D and applies
to boundaries representing waveguide ports. Only the electric field variant
3D of the time harmonic equation is supported.

When this interface is added, these default nodes are also added to the Model Builder
Wave Equation, Electric, Perfect Electric Conductor, and Initial Values.

Right-click the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain node to add other features
that implement, for example, boundary conditions and mass sources. The following
sections provide information about all feature nodes in the interface.

H-Bend Waveguide 3D: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/h_bend_waveguide_3d
Model

86 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

INTERFACE IDENTIFIER
The interface identifier is a text string that can be used to reference the respective
physics interface if appropriate. Such situations could occur when coupling this
interface to another physics interface, or when trying to identify and use variables
defined by this physics interface, which is used to reach the fields and variables in
expressions, for example. It can be changed to any unique string in the Identifier field.

The default identifier (for the first interface in the model) is emw.

DOMAIN SELECTION
The default setting is to include All domains in the model to define the dependent
variables and the equations. To choose specific domains, select Manual from the
Selection list.

SETTINGS
From the Solve for list, select whether to solve for the Full field (the default) or the
Scattered field. If Scattered field is selected, enter the coordinates for the Background
electric field Eb (SI unit: V/m).

ELECTRIC FIELD COMPONENTS SOLVED FOR

This section is available for 2D models.

2D

Select the Electric field components solved forThree-component vector, Out-of-plane

vector, or In-plane vector. Select:

Three-component vector (the default) to solve using a full three-component vector

for the electric field E.
Out-of-plane vector to solve for the electric field vector component perpendicular to
the modeling plane, assuming that there is no electric field in the plane.
In-plane vector to solve for the electric field vector components in the modeling
plane assuming that there is no electric field perpendicular to the plane.

PO R T SWEEP SETTINGS
Enter a Reference impedance Zref (SI unit: ). The default is 50 .

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 87
 Select the Activate port sweep check box to switch on the port sweep. When selected,
this invokes a parametric sweep over the ports/terminals in addition to the
automatically generated frequency sweep. The generated lumped parameters are in the
form of an impedance or admittance matrix depending on the port/terminal settings
which consistently must be of either fixed voltage or fixed current type.

If Activate port sweep is selected, enter a Sweep parameter name to assign a specific
name to the variable that controls the port number solved for during the sweep.

For this interface, the lumped parameters are subject to Touchstone file export. Click
Browse to locate the file, or enter a file name and path. Select an Output format
Magnitude angle, Magnitude (dB) angle, or Real imaginary.

DISCRETIZATION
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Discretization. Select
Linear, Quadratic (the default), or Cubic for the Electric field. Specify the Value type when
using splitting of complex variablesReal or Complex (the default).

DEPENDENT VARIABLES
The dependent variables (field variables) are for the Electric field E and its components
(in the Electric field components fields). The name can be changed but the names of
fields and dependent variables must be unique within a model.

Show More Physics Options

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the
Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface
See Also
Theory for the Electromagnetic Waves Interfaces

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the

Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface
The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface has these domain,
boundary, edge, point, and pair features available, including subfeatures.

Domain Features
Divergence Constraint
Far-Field Calculation
Far-Field Domain

88 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 Initial Values
Perfectly Matched Layers
Wave Equation, Electric

Boundary Conditions
With no surface currents present the boundary conditions

n2 E1 E2 = 0
n2 H1 H2 = 0

need to be fulfilled. Because E is being solved for, the tangential component of the
electric field is always continuous, and thus the first condition is automatically fulfilled.
The second condition is equivalent to the natural boundary condition

1 1
n r E 1 r E 2 = n j 0 H 1 H2 = 0

and is therefore also fulfilled. These conditions are available (listed in alphabetical
order):

Electric Field
Impedance Boundary Condition
Lumped Port
Magnetic Field
Perfect Electric Conductor
Perfect Magnetic Conductor
Periodic Condition
Port
Scattering Boundary Condition
Surface Current
Transition Boundary Condition

For 2D axisymmetric models, COMSOL Multiphysics takes the axial

symmetry boundaries (at r = 0) into account and automatically adds an
Axial Symmetry feature to the model that is valid on the axial symmetry
2D Axi
boundaries only.

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 89
 Edge, Point, and Pair Conditions
Edge Current
Electric Field
Electric Point Dipole
Line Current (Out-of-Plane)
Lumped Port
Magnetic Current
Magnetic Point Dipole
Perfect Electric Conductor
Perfect Magnetic Conductor
Surface Current

In the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide:

Continuity on Interior Boundaries

Identity and Contact Pairs
Periodic Condition

See Also Destination Selection

Using Periodic Boundary Conditions
Periodic Boundary Condition Example
Specifying Boundary Conditions for Identity Pairs

To locate and search all the documentation, in COMSOL, select

Help>Documentation from the main menu and either enter a search term
Tip or look under a specific module in the documentation tree.

Wave Equation, Electric

Wave Equation, Electric is the main feature node for this interface. The governing
equation can be written in the form

2
r 1 E k 0 rc E = 0

90 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

for the time-harmonic and eigenfrequency problems. The wave number of free space
k0 is defined as

k 0 = 0 0 = -----
c0

where c0 is the speed of light in vacuum.

When solving the equations as an eigenfrequency problem the eigenvalue is the

complex eigenfrequency j, where is the damping of the solution. The
Q-factor is given from the eigenvalue by the formula

Q fact = ---------
2

Using the relation r = n2, where n is the refractive index, the equation can
alternatively be written

2 2
E k0 n E = 0

When the equation is written using the refractive index, the assumption is that r = 1
and = 0 and only the constitutive relations for linear materials are available. When
solving for the scattered field the same equations are used but EEscEi and Esc is
the dependent variable.

Also right-click the Wave Equation, Electric node to add a Divergence Constraint
subnode.

H-Bend Waveguide 2D: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/h_bend_waveguide_2d
Model

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to apply to the feature. The default setting
is to include all domains in the model.

MODEL INPUTS
This section contains field variables that appear as model inputs, if the settings include
such model inputs. By default, this section is empty.

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 91
 MAGNETIC FIELD
Select the Constitutive relationRelative permeability (the default) or Magnetic losses.

For magnetic losses, beware of the time-harmonic sign convention

requiring a lossy material having a negative imaginary part of the relative
Caution permeability (see Introducing Losses in the Frequency Domain).

If Relative permeability is selected, the Relative permeability r uses values From

material. If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or
Anisotropic based on the characteristics of the magnetic field, and then enter values
or expressions in the field or matrix. When Porous media is selected, right-click to
add a Porous Media subnode.
If Magnetic losses is selected, the default values for Relative permeability (real part)
and Relative permeability (imaginary part) are taken From material. Select User
defined to enter different values.

CONDUCTION CURRENT
By default, the Electrical conductivity (SI unit: S/m) uses values From material.

If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic based

on the characteristics of the current and enter values or expressions in the field or
matrix.
If Linearized resistivity is selected, the default values for the Reference temperature
Tref (SI unit: K), Resistivity temperature coefficient (SI unit: 1/K), and Reference
resistivity 0 (SI unit: m) are taken From material. Select User defined to enter other
values or expressions for any of these variables.
When Porous media is selected, right-click to add a Porous Media subnode.
When Archies law is selected, right-click to add an Archies Law subnode.

ELECTRIC DISPLACEMENT FIELD

Select an Electric displacement field modelRelative permittivity (the default),
Refractive index, Loss tangent, Dielectric loss, Drude-Lorentz dispersion model, Debye
dispersion model, or Sellmeier dispersion model.

Relative Permittivity
When Relative permittivity is selected, the default Relative permittivity r takes values
From material. If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or

92 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Anisotropic and enter values or expressions in the field or matrix. When Porous media is
selected, right-click to add a Porous Media subnode.

Refractive Index
When Refractive index is selected, the default Refractive index n and Refractive index,
imaginary part k take the values From material. To specify the real and imaginary parts
of the refractive index and assume a relative permeability of unity and zero
conductivity, for one or both of the options, select User defined then choose Isotropic,
Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic. Enter values or expressions in the field or matrix.

Beware of the time-harmonic sign convention requiring a lossy material

having a negative imaginary part of the refractive index (see Introducing
Caution Losses in the Frequency Domain).

Loss Tangent
When Loss tangent is selected, the default Relative permittivity and Loss tangent take
values From material. If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric,
or Anisotropic and enter values or expressions in the field or matrix. Then if User
defined is selected for Loss tangent , enter a value to specify a loss tangent for dielectric
losses. This assumes zero conductivity.

Dielectric Loss
When Dielectric loss is selected, the default Relative permittivity and Relative
permittivity (imaginary part) take values From material. If User defined is selected for
one or both options, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic and enter
values or expressions in the field or matrix.

Beware of the time-harmonic sign convention requiring a lossy material

having a negative imaginary part of the relative permittivity (see
Caution Introducing Losses in the Frequency Domain).

Drude-Lorentz Dispersion Model

The Drude-Lorentz dispersion model is defined by the equation

M 2
fj P
r = + ---------------------------------------
2
0j + i j
2
-
j=1

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 93
 where is the high-frequency contribution to the relative permittivity, P is the
plasma frequency, fj is the oscillator strength, 0j is the resonance frequency, and j is
the damping coefficient.

When Drude-Lorentz dispersion model is selected, the default Relative permittivity, high
frequency (unitless) takes its value From material. If User defined is selected, choose
Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic and enter a value or expression in the field
or matrix.

Enter a Plasma frequency (SI unit: rad/s). The default is 0.

In the table, enter values or expressions in the columns for the Oscillator strength,
Resonance frequency (rad/s), and Damping in time (Hz).

Nanorods: Model Library path RF_Module/Optics_and_Photonics/nanorods

Model

Debye Dispersion Model

The Debye dispersion model is given by

k
= + ---------------------
1 + i k
-
k

where is the high-frequency contribution to the relative permittivity, k is the

contribution to the relative permittivity, and k is the relaxation time.

When Debye dispersion model is selected, the default Relative permittivity, high
frequency (unitless) takes its value From material. If User defined is selected, choose
Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic and enter a value or expression in the field
or matrix.

In the table, enter values or expressions in the columns for the Relative permittivity
contribution and Relaxation time (s).

Sellmeier Dispersion Model

The Sellmeier dispersion model is often used for characterizing the refractive index of
optical glasses. The model is given by

2
Bk

2
n = 1 + ------------------
-
2
k Ck

94 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

where the coefficients Bk and Ck determine the dispersion properties.

When Sellmeier dispersion model is selected, in the table, enter values or expressions in
the columns for B and C (m^2).

Divergence Constraint
Right-click the Wave Equation, Electric node to add a Divergence Constraint subnode.
It is used for numerical stabilization when the frequency is low enough for the total
electric current density related term in the wave equation to become numerically
insignificant. For the The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface and
The Microwave Heating Interface the divergence condition is given by

J = 0

and for the The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface it is

A = 0

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to use divergence constraint.

DIVERGENCE CONSTRAINT
Enter a value or expression for the Divergence condition variable scaling 0.

For the The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface and The Microwave
Heating Interface the SI unit is kg/(ms3A)). The default is 1 kg/(ms3A).

For the The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface (and the Microwave Plasma
interface available with the Plasma Module) the SI unit is A/m and the default is 1
A/m.

Archies Law

This subfeature is available only when Archies law is selected as the Electric
conductivity material parameter in the parent feature (for example, the
Wave Equation, Electric node). Then right-click the Wave Equation,
Note
Electric node to add this subnode.

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 95
 Use the Archies Law subnode to provide an electrical conductivity computed using
Archies Law. This subnode can be used to model nonconductive porous media
saturated (or variably saturated) by conductive liquids, using the relation:

n m
= sL p L

Archies Law Theory

See Also

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to define Archies law.

M A T E R I A L TY P E
Select a Material typeSolid, Non-solid, or From material.

CONDUCTION CURRENT
By default, the Electrical conductivity L (SI unit: S/m) for the fluid is defined From
material. This uses the value of the conductivity of the material domain.

If User defined is selected, enter a value or expression. If another type of temperature

dependence is used other than a linear temperature relation, enter any expression for
the conductivity as a function of temperature.

Enter these unitless parameters as required.

Cementation exponent m
Saturation exponent n
Fluid saturation SL
Enter a Porosity p to set up the volume fraction of the fluid.

96 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Porous Media

This subfeature is available only when Porous media is selected as a

material parameter in the parent feature (for example, the Wave Equation
Electric node). Then right-click the Wave Equation, Electric node to add
Note
this subnode.

Use the Porous Media subfeature to specify the material properties of a domain
consisting of a porous medium using a mixture model. The Porous Media subfeature is
available for all the physics interfaces in the AC/DC Module and the RF Module, and,
depending on the specific physics interface, can be used to provide a mixture model
for the electric conductivity , the relative dielectric permittivity r, or the relative
magnetic permeability r.

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to define the porous media.

PO RO US MEDIA
This section is always available and is used to define the mixture model for the domain.

Select the Number of materials (up to 5) to be included in the mixture model.

For each material (Material 1, Material 2, and so on) select either Domain material, to
use the material specified for the domain, or one of the other materials specified in the
Materials node. For each material, enter a Volume fraction 1, 2 and so on.

The Volume fractions specified for the materials should add to 1 in normal cases. Each
subsequent volume fraction is automatically set to 2 = 11.

The availability of the Effective Electrical Conductivity, Effective Relative

Permittivity, and Effective Relative Permeability sections depend on the
material properties used in the interface. Moreover, these sections are
Note only active if the corresponding material property in the parent feature is
set to Porous media.

E F F E C T I VE E L E C T R I C A L C O N D U C T I V I T Y, E F F E C T I V E R E L A T I V E
PE R M I T T I V I T Y, O R E F F E C T I V E R E L A T I V E PE R M E A B I L I T Y
Select the averaging method to use in the mixture model between the volume average
of the material property, the volume average of its inverse, or the power law. For each

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 97
 material, specify either From material, to take the value from the corresponding
material specified in the Porous Media section, or User defined to manually input a value.

Effective Relative Permeability in Porous Media and Mixtures

See Also Effective Conductivity in Porous Media and Mixtures

Far-Field Domain

2D This feature is available for 2D and 3D models.

3D

To set up a far-field calculation, add a Far-Field Domain node and specify the far-field
domains in its settings window. Use Far-Field Calculation subnodes (one is added by
default) to specify all other settings needed to define the far-field calculation. Select a
homogeneous domain or domain group that is outside of all radiating and scattering
objects and which has the material settings of the far-field medium.

DOMAIN SELECTION
Use the Selection list to specify the domains for the far field.

Far-Field Support in the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain

Interface
See Also

Radar Cross Section: Model Library path

RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/radar_cross_section
Model

98 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Far-Field Calculation
A Far-Field Calculation subnode is added by default to the Far-Field Domain node and
is used to select boundaries corresponding to a single closed surface surrounding all
radiating and scattering objects. Symmetry reduction of the geometry makes it
relevant to select boundaries defining a non-closed surface. Also use this feature to
indicate symmetry planes and symmetry cuts applied to the geometry, and whether the
selected boundaries are defining the inside or outside of the far field domain; that is,
to say whether facing away from infinity or toward infinity. Right-click the Far-Field
Domain node to add additional subnodes as required.

BOUNDARY SELECTION
In the Selection list, specify the boundaries that make up the source aperture for the far
field.

FAR-FIELD CALCULATION
Enter a Far-field variable name FarName. The default is Efar.

Select as required the Symmetry in the x=0 plane, Symmetry in the y=0 plane, or
Symmetry in the z=0 plane check boxes to use it your model when calculating the
far-field variable. The symmetry planes have to coincide with one of the Cartesian
coordinate planes.

When a check box is selected, also choose the type of symmetry to use from the
Symmetry type list that appearsSymmetry in E (PMC) or Symmetry in H (PEC). The
selection should match the boundary condition used for the symmetry boundary.
Using these settings, include the parts of the geometry that are not in the model for
symmetry reasons in the far-field analysis.

From the Boundary relative to domain list, select Inside or Outside (the default) to define
if the selected boundaries are defining the inside or outside of the far-field domain (that
is, whether facing away from infinity or toward infinity).

Perfectly Matched Layers

For information about this feature, see About Infinite Element Domains
and Perfectly Matched Layers in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users
Note Guide.

T HE E L E C T RO M A G N E T I C WAVE S, F RE Q UE N C Y D O M AI N I N T E R F AC E | 99
 Initial Values
The Initial Values feature adds an initial value for the electric field that can serve as an
initial guess for a nonlinear solver. Right-click to add additional Initial Values feature
from the Other menu.

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to define an initial value.

INITIAL VALUES
Enter values or expressions for the initial values of the components of the Electric field
E (SI unit: V/m). The default values are 0.

Perfect Electric Conductor

The Perfect Electric Conductor boundary condition

nE = 0

is a special case of the electric field boundary condition that sets the tangential
component of the electric field to zero. It is used for the modeling of a lossless metallic
surface, for example a ground plane or as a symmetry type boundary condition. It
imposes symmetry for magnetic fields and magnetic currents and antisymmetry for
electric fields and electric currents. It supports induced electric surface currents and
thus any prescribed or induced electric currents (volume, surface or edge currents)
flowing into a perfect electric conductor boundary is automatically balanced by
induced surface currents.

Js
J
I'
I

Js

The perfect electric conductor boundary condition is used on exterior and interior
boundaries representing the surface of a lossless metallic conductor or (on exterior
boundaries) representing a symmetry cut. The shaded (metallic) region is not part of the
model but still carries effective mirror images of the sources. Note also that any current

100 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

flowing into the boundary is perfectly balanced by induced surface currents. The
tangential electric field vanishes at the boundary.

RF Coil: Model Library path RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/rf_coil

Model

BOUNDARY OR EDGE SELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the geometric entity (boundaries or edges) to specify a
perfect electric conductor.

PAIR SELECTION
If Perfect Electric Conductor is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define.
An identity pair has to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

CONSTRAINT SETTINGS
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Advanced Physics Options.
Select a Constraint typeBidirectional, symmetric or Unidirectional. If required, select
the Use weak constraints check box.

Show More Physics Options

See Also

Perfect Magnetic Conductor

The Perfect Magnetic Conductor boundary condition

nH = 0

is a special case of the surface current boundary condition that sets the tangential
component of the magnetic field and thus also the surface current density to zero. On
external boundaries, this can be interpreted as a high surface impedance boundary
condition or used as a symmetry type boundary condition. It imposes symmetry for
electric fields and electric currents. Electric currents (volume, surface, or edge
currents) are not allowed to flow into a perfect magnetic conductor boundary as that
would violate current conservation. On interior boundaries, the perfect magnetic
conductor boundary condition literally sets the tangential magnetic field to zero which

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 101

 in addition to setting the surface current density to zero also makes the tangential
electric field discontinuous.

Js=0

I'
I
J=0

Figure 4-1: The perfect magnetic conductor boundary condition is used on exterior
boundaries representing the surface of a high impedance region or a symmetry cut. The
shaded (high impedance) region is not part of the model but nevertheless carries effective
mirror images of the sources. Note also that any electric current flowing into the boundary
is forbidden as it cannot be balanced by induced electric surface currents. The tangential
magnetic field vanishes at the boundary. On interior boundaries, the perfect magnetic
conductor boundary condition literally sets the tangential magnetic field to zero which in
addition to setting the surface current density to zero also makes the tangential electric
field (and in dynamics the tangential electric field) discontinuous.

Magnetic Frill: Model Library path

RF_Module/Tutorial_Models/magnetic_frill
Model

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to model as perfect magnetic
conductors.

PAIR SELECTION
If Perfect Magnetic Conductor is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define.
An identity pair has to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

Port
Use the Port node where electromagnetic energy enters or exits the model. A port can
launch and absorb specific modes. Use the boundary condition to specify wave type

102 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

ports. Ports support S-parameter calculations but can be used just for exciting the
model. This feature is not available with the Electromagnetic Waves, Transient interface.

S-Parameters and Ports

See Also S-Parameter Variables

Waveguide Adapter: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/waveguide_adapter

Model
Three-Port Ferrite Circulator: Model Library path
RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/circulator

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify the port.

PAIR SELECTION
If Port is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define. An identity pair has
to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

PO R T PRO PER TIES

Enter a unique Port name. It is recommended to use a numeric name as it is used to
define the elements of the S-parameter matrix and numeric port names are also
required for port sweeps and Touchstone file export.

It is only possible to excite one port at a time if the purpose is to compute

S-parameters. In other cases (for example, when studying microwave
heating) more than one inport might be wanted, but the S-parameter
Note variables cannot be correctly computed, so several ports are excited, the
S-parameter output is turned off.

Select the Type of PortUser defined, Numeric, Rectangular, Coaxial, or Circular.

Circular ports are only available in 2D axisymmetry.

Analytical Coaxial modes are available for TM waves. Only the

2D Axi fundamental (TEM) mode is available as a predefined mode.

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 103

 Numeric requires a Boundary Mode Analysis study type. It should appear
before the frequency domain study node in the study branch of the model
tree. If more than one numeric port is needed, use one Boundary Mode
Analysis node per port and assign each to the appropriate port. Then, it is
best to add all the studies; Boundary Mode Analysis 1, Boundary Mode
3D Analysis 2,..., Frequency Domain 1, manually.

Analytical Coaxial modes are available for TM waves. Only the

fundamental (TEM) mode is available as a predefined mode.

Wave Excitation at this Port

To set whether it is an inport or a listener port, select On or Off from the Wave excitation
at this port list. If On is selected, enter a Port input power Pin (SI unit: W), and Port
phase in (SI unit: rad).

The Port Sweep Settings section in the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency

Domain interface (see Port Sweep Settings) cycles through the ports,
computes the entire S-matrix and exports it to a Touchstone file. When
Note using port sweeps, the local setting for Wave excitation at this port is
overridden by the solver so only one port at a time is excited.

POR T MODE SETTINGS

The input is based on the Type of Port selected aboveUser defined, Rectangular, or
Circular. No entry is required if Numeric or Coaxial are selected. The Port phase field in
the previous section has no impact for this mode type because the phase is determined
by the entered fields.

User-Defined
If User defined is selected, specify the eigenmode of the port.

Enter the amplitude coordinates of the Electric field E0 (SI unit V/m).
Enter the Propagation constant (SI unit: 1/m). This is frequency dependent for all
but TEM modes and a correct frequency-dependent expression must be used.

104 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Rectangular
If Rectangular is selected, specify a unique rectangular mode.

In 3D, select a Mode typeTransverse electric (TE) or Transverse magnetic

(TM).

3D
Enter the Mode number, for example, 10 for a TE10 mode, or 11 for a
TM11 mode.

In 2D, select the mode type Transverse electromagnetic (TEM), since the
rectangular port represents a parallel-plate waveguide port that can
support a TEM mode.

Only TE modes are possible when solving for the out-of-plane vector
2D component, and only TM and TEM modes are possible when solving for
the in-plane vector components.

There is only a single mode number, which is selected from a list.

Circular
If Circular is selected, specify a unique circular mode.

Select a Mode typeTransverse electric (TE) or Transverse magnetic (TM).

Select the Mode number from the list.

Lumped Port
Use the Lumped Port feature to apply a voltage or current excitation of a model or to
connect to a circuit. A lumped port is a simplification of the port boundary condition.

A Lumped Port condition can only be applied on boundaries that extend between two
metallic boundariesthat is, boundaries where Perfect Electric Conductor or Impedance
(Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain interface only) conditions apply
separated by a distance much smaller than the wavelength.

Balanced Patch Antenna for 6 GHz: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/patch_antenna
Model

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 105

 S-Parameters and Ports

See Also Lumped Ports with Voltage Input

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify the lumped port.

PAIR SELECTION
If Lumped Port is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define. An identity
pair has to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

POR T PROPER TIES

Enter a unique Port Name. It is recommended to use a numeric name as it is used to
define the elements of the S-parameter matrix and numeric port names are also
required for port sweeps and Touchstone file export (for the Electromagnetic Waves,
Frequency Domain interface).

Type of Port
Select a Type of PortUniform, Coaxial, or User defined.

Select User defined for non uniform ports, for example, a curved port and enter values
or expressions in the fieldsHeight of lumped port hport (SI unit: m), Width of lumped
port wport (SI unit: m), and Direction between lumped port terminals ah.

Terminal Type
Select a Terminal typea Cable port for a voltage driven transmission line, a Current
driven port, or a Circuit port.

106 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

If Cable is selected, select On or Off from the Wave excitation at this port list to set
whether it is an inport or a listener port. If On is selected, enter a Voltage V0
(SI unit: V), and Port phase (SI unit: rad).

It is only possible to excite one port at a time if the purpose is to compute

S-parameters. In other cases, for example, when studying microwave
heating, more than one inport might be wanted, but the S-parameter
variables cannot be correctly computed so if several ports are excited, the
S-parameter output is turned off.

For the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain and Microwave Heating

Note
interfaces, the Port Sweep Settings cycles through the ports, computes
the entire S-matrix, and exports it to a Touchstone file. When using port
sweeps, the local setting for Wave excitation at this port is overridden by
the solver so only one port at a time is excited.

SETTINGS
No entry is required if a Circuit terminal type is selected above.

If a Cable terminal type is selected above, enter the Characteristic impedance Zref
(SI unit: ).
If a Current terminal type is selected above, enter a Terminal current I0 (SI unit: A).

Electric Field
The Electric Field boundary condition

n E = n E0

specifies the tangential component of the electric field. It should in general not be used
to excite a model. Consider using the Port, Lumped Port, or Scattering Boundary
Condition instead. It is provided mainly for completeness and for advanced users who
can recognize the special modeling situations when it is appropriate to use. The
commonly used special case of zero tangential electric field (perfect electric conductor)
is described in the next section.

BOUNDARY OR EDGE SELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the geometric entity (boundaries or edges) to specify
the electric field.

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 107

 PAIR SELECTION
If Electric Field is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define. An identity
pair has to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

ELECTRIC FIELD
Enter the value or expression for the components of the Electric field E0
(SI unit: V/m).

CONSTRAINT SETTINGS
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Advanced Physics Options.
Select a Constraint typeBidirectional, symmetric or Unidirectional. If required, select
the Use weak constraints check box.

Show More Physics Options

See Also

Magnetic Field
The Magnetic Field feature adds a boundary condition for specifying the tangential
component of the magnetic field at the boundary:

n H = n H0

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify the magnetic field.

PAIR SELECTION
If Magnetic Field is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define. An identity
pair has to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

MAGNETIC FIELD
Enter the value or expression for the components of the Magnetic field H0
(SI unit: A/m).

108 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Scattering Boundary Condition
Use the Scattering Boundary Condition to make a boundary transparent for a scattered
wave. The boundary condition is also transparent for an incoming plane wave. The
scattered (outgoing) wave types for which the boundary condition is perfectly
transparent are

jk n r jk k r
E = E sc e + E0 e Plane scattered wave
jk n r
e jk k r
E = E sc ------------------------ + E 0 e Cylindrical scattered wave
r
jk n r
e jk k r
E = E sc ------------------------ + E 0 e Spherical scattered wave
rs

The field E0 is the incident plane wave that travels in the direction k. The boundary
condition is transparent for incoming (but not outgoing) plane waves with any angle
of incidence.

The boundary is only perfectly transparent for scattered (outgoing) waves

of the selected type at normal incidence to the boundary. That is, a plane
wave at oblique incidence is partially reflected and so is a cylindrical wave
or spherical wave unless the wave fronts are parallel to the boundary. For
Note
the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain interface, see Far-Field
Calculation for a general way of modeling an open boundary.

For cylindrical waves, specify around which cylinder axis the waves are cylindrical.
Do this by specifying one point at the cylinder axis and the axis direction.
For spherical waves, specify the center of the sphere around which the wave is
spherical.

If the problem is solved for the eigenfrequency or the scattered field, the boundary
condition does not include the incident wave.

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 109

 jk n r
E sc = E sc e Plane scattered wave
jk n r
e
E sc = E sc ------------------------ Cylindrical scattered wave
r
jk n r
e
E sc = E sc ------------------------ Spherical scattered wave
rs

Conical Antenna: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/conical_antenna
Model

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify the scattering boundary
condition.

SCATTERING BOUNDARY CONDITION

Select a Wave type for which the boundary is absorbingSpherical wave, Cylindrical
wave, or Plane wave.

For all Wave types, enter coordinates for the Wave direction kdir (unitless).

If Cylindrical wave is selected, also enter coordinates for the Source point ro
(SI unit: m) and Source axis direction raxis (unitless).
If Spherical wave is selected, enter coordinates for the Source point ro (SI unit: m).

For The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface also select an

Incident fieldWave given by E field or Wave given by H field. Enter the
expressions for the components for the Incident electric field E0 or Incident
Note
magnetic field H0.

Impedance Boundary Condition

The Impedance Boundary Condition

0 r
------------ n H + E n E n = n E s n E s
c

110 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

is used at boundaries where the field is known to penetrate only a short distance
outside the boundary. This penetration is approximated by a boundary condition to
avoid the need to include another domain in the model. Although the equation is
identical to the one in the low-reflecting boundary condition, it has a different
interpretation. The material properties are for the domain outside the boundary and
not inside, as for low-reflecting boundaries. A requirement for this boundary condition
to be a valid approximation is that the magnitude of the complex refractive index

c
N = -----------
-
1 1

where 1 and 1 are the material properties of the inner domain, is large, that is
N 1.

The source electric field Es can be used to specify a source surface current on the
boundary.

Js
J
I'
I

Js

The impedance boundary condition is used on exterior boundaries representing the surface
of a lossy domain. The shaded (lossy) region is not part of the model. The effective induced
image currents are of reduced magnitude due to losses. Any current flowing into the
boundary is perfectly balanced by induced surface currents as for the perfect electric
conductor boundary condition. The tangential electric field is generally small but non zero
at the boundary.

Coaxial to Waveguide Coupling: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/coaxial_waveguide_coupling
Model

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 111

 BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify the impedance boundary
condition.

IMPEDANCE BOUNDARY CONDITION

The following default material properties for the domain outside the boundary, which
this boundary condition approximates, are all taken From material:

Relative permeability r (unitless)

Relative permittivity r (unitless)
Electrical conductivity (SI unit: S/m)
Select User defined for any of these to enter a different value or expression.

Enter the values or expressions for the components of a Source electric field Es (SI unit:
V/m).

Surface Current
The Surface Current boundary condition

n H = Js
n H1 H2 = Js

specifies a surface current density at both exterior and interior boundaries. The current
density is specified as a three-dimensional vector, but because it needs to flow along
the boundary surface, COMSOL Multiphysics projects it onto the boundary surface
and neglects its normal component. This makes it easier to specify the current density
and avoids unexpected results when a current density with a component normal to the
surface is given.

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify a surface current.

PAIR SELECTION
If Surface Current is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to define. An identity
pair has to be created first. Ctrl-click to deselect.

SURFACE CURRENT
Enter values or expressions for the components of the Surface current density Js0
(SI unit: A/m).

112 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Transition Boundary Condition
The Transition Boundary Condition is used on interior boundaries to model a sheet of a
medium that should be geometrically thin but does not have to be electrically thin. It
represents a discontinuity in the tangential electric field. Mathematically it is described
by a relation between the electric field discontinuity and the induced surface current
density:

Z S E t1 Z T E t2
J s1 = --------------------------------------------
2 2
-
ZS ZT
Z S E t2 Z T E t1
J s2 = --------------------------------------------
2 2
-
ZS ZT
j 1
Z S = ------------- ----------------------
k tan kd
j 1
Z T = ------------- ---------------------
k sin kd
k = + j

Where indices 1 and 2 refer to the different sides of the layer. This feature is not
available with the Electromagnetic Waves, Transient interface.

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to specify the transition boundary
condition.

TR A N S I T I O N B O U N D A R Y C O N D I T I O N
The following default material properties for the thin layer which this boundary
condition approximates, are all taken From material:

Relative permeability r (unitless)

Relative permittivity r (unitless)
Electrical conductivity (SI unit: S/m).
Select User defined for any of these to enter a different value or expression.

Enter a Thickness d (SI unit: m). The default is 0.01 m.

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 113

 Periodic Condition
The Periodic Condition sets up a periodicity between the selected boundaries.
Right-click to add a Destination Selection node as required.

See Periodic Boundary Conditions described in the RF modeling section

for more details on this boundary condition.
Note

Fresnel Equations: Model Library path

RF_Module/Verification_Models/fresnel_equations

Model
Plasmonic Wire Grating: Model Library path:
RF_Module/Optics_and_Photonics/plasmonic_wire_grating

BOUNDARY SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the boundaries to define a periodic condition. The
software automatically identifies the boundaries as either source boundaries or
destination boundaries.

This works fine for cases like opposing parallel boundaries. To control the
destination, right-click to add a Destination Selection feature. By default it
Note contains the selection that COMSOL Multiphysics has identified.

PERIODICITY SETTINGS
Select a Type of periodicityContinuity (the default), Antiperiodicity, or Floquet
periodicity. Select:

Continuity to make the electric field periodic (equal on the source and destination),
Antiperiodicity to make it antiperiodic, or
Floquet periodicity (Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain interface only) to use
a Floquet periodicity (Bloch-Floquet periodicity). If Floquet periodicity is selected,
also enter the coordinates for the k-vector for Floquet periodicity kF (SI unit:
rad/m).

114 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

CONSTRAINT SETTINGS
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Advanced Physics Options.
Select a Constraint typeBidirectional, symmetric or Unidirectional. If required, select
the Use weak constraints check box.

Show More Physics Options

Periodic Condition is also described in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users
Guide:

Periodic Condition
See Also
Destination Selection
Using Periodic Boundary Conditions
Periodic Boundary Condition Example

Magnetic Current

For 2D and 2D axisymmetric models the Magnetic Current feature is

2D applied to Points, representing magnetic currents directed out of the
model plane.
2D Axi

For 3D models, the Magnetic Current is applied to Edges.

3D

The Magnetic Current feature specifies a magnetic line current along one or more edges.
For a single Magnetic Current source, the electric field is orthogonal to both the line
and the distance vector from the line to the field point.

EDGE OR PO INT SELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the edges or points to carry a magnetic current.

MAGNETIC CURRENT
Enter a value for the Magnetic current Im (SI unit: V).

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 115

 Edge Current
The Edge Current feature specifies an electric line current along one or more edges.

EDGE SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the edges to carry an electric edge current.

EDGE CURRENT
Enter an Edge current I0 (SI unit: A).

Electric Point Dipole

Add Electric Point Dipole nodes to 2D and 3D models. This represents the
limiting case of when the length d of a current filament carrying uniform
2D current I approaches zero while maintaining the product between I and
d. The dipole moment is a vector entity with the positive direction set by
3D the current flow.

POINT SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the points to add an electric point dipole.

DIPOLE SPECIFICATION
Select a Dipole specificationMagnitude and direction or Dipole moment.

DIPOLE PARAMETERS
Based on the Dipole specification selection:

If Magnitude and direction is selected, enter coordinates for the Electric current dipole
moment direction np and Electric current dipole moment, magnitude p (SI unit: mA).
If Dipole moment is selected, enter coordinates for the Electric current dipole moment
p (SI unit: mA).

116 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Magnetic Point Dipole

Add a Magnetic Point Dipole to 2D and 3D models. The point dipole

2D source represents a small circular current loop I in the limit of zero loop
area a at a fixed product I*a.
3D

PO IN T S EL EC TIO N
From the Selection list, choose the points to add a magnetic point dipole.

DIPOLE SPECIFICATION
Select a Dipole specificationMagnitude and direction or Dipole moment.

DIPOLE PARAMETERS
Based on the Dipole specification selection:

If Magnitude and direction is selected, enter coordinates for the Magnetic dipole
moment direction nm and Magnetic dipole moment, magnitude m (SI unit: m2A).
If Dipole moment is selected, enter coordinates for the Magnetic dipole moment m
(SI unit: m2A).

Line Current (Out-of-Plane)

Add a Line Current (Out-of-Plane) node to 2D or 2D axisymmetric models.

This specifies a line current out of the modeling plane. In axially
2D
symmetric geometries this is the rotational direction, in 2D geometries it
is the z direction.
2D Axi

PO IN T S EL EC TIO N
From the Selection list, choose the points to add a line current.

LINE CURRENT (OUT-OF-PLANE)

Enter an Out-of-plane current I0 (SI unit: A).

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, FREQUENCY DOMAIN IN TERFACE | 117

 The Electromagnetic Waves,
Transient Interface
The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient interface ( ), found under the Radio Frequency
branch ( ) in the Model Wizard, solves a transient wave equation for the magnetic
vector potential.

When this interface is added, these default nodes are also added to the Model Builder
Wave Equation, Electric, Perfect Electric Conductor, and Initial Values.

Right-click the Electromagnetic Waves, Transient node to add other features that
implement, for example, boundary conditions and mass sources.

Except where indicated, most of the settings are the same as for The
Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface.
Note

INTERFACE IDENTIFIER
The interface identifier is a text string that can be used to reference the respective
physics interface if appropriate. Such situations could occur when coupling this
interface to another physics interface, or when trying to identify and use variables
defined by this physics interface, which is used to reach the fields and variables in
expressions, for example. It can be changed to any unique string in the Identifier field.

The default identifier (for the first interface in the model) is temw.

DOMAIN SELECTION
The default setting is to include All domains in the model to define the dependent
variables and the equations. To choose specific domains, select Manual from the
Selection list.

118 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

ELECTRIC FIELD COMPONENTS SOLVED FOR

Select the Electric field components solved for. Select:

Three-component vector (the default) to solve using a full

three-component vector for the electric field E.
Out-of-plane vector to solve for the electric field vector component
perpendicular to the modeling plane, assuming that there is no electric
2D field in the plane.
In-plane vector to solve for the electric field vector components in the
modeling plane assuming that there is no electric field perpendicular to
the plane.

DISCRETIZATION
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Discretization. Select
Quadratic (the default), Linear, or Cubic for the Magnetic vector potential. Specify the
Value type when using splitting of complex variablesReal or Complex (the default).

DEPENDENT VA RIA BLES

The dependent variable (field variable) is for the Magnetic vector potential A. The name
can be changed but the names of fields and dependent variables must be unique within
a model.

Show More Physics Options

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Conditions for the
Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface
See Also
Theory for the Electromagnetic Waves Interfaces

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Conditions for the

Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface
The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface shares most of its features. The
domain, boundary, edge, point, and pair features are available as indicated.

T H E E L E C T R O M A G N E T I C W A V E S , TR A N S I E N T I N T E R F A C E | 119
 Domain Features
These features are unique for this interface and described in this section:

Wave Equation, Electric

Initial Values

Boundary Conditions
With no surface currents present the boundary conditions

n2 E1 E2 = 0
n2 H1 H2 = 0

need to be fulfilled. Depending on the field being solved for, it is necessary to analyze
these conditions differently. When solving for A, the first condition can be formulated
in the following way.

A 2 A 1
n2 E1 E2 = n2 = n2 A2 A1
t t t

The tangential component of the magnetic vector potential is always continuous and
thus the first condition is fulfilled. The second condition is equivalent to the natural
boundary condition.

1 1 1
n r A1 r A2 = n r H1 H2 = 0

and is therefore also fulfilled.

These features are available and described for the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency
Domain interface (listed in alphabetical order):

Lumped Port
Magnetic Field
Perfect Electric Conductor
Perfect Magnetic Conductor
Periodic Condition

120 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 Scattering Boundary Condition
Surface Current

For axisymmetric models, COMSOL Multiphysics takes the axial

symmetry boundaries (at r = 0) into account and automatically adds an
Axial Symmetry feature to the model that is valid on the axial symmetry
2D Axi
boundaries only.

Edge, Point, and Pair Conditions

These edge, point, and pair features are available and described for the Electromagnetic
Waves, Frequency Domain interface (listed in alphabetical order):

Edge Current
Electric Point Dipole (2D and 3D models)
Line Current (Out-of-Plane) (2D and 2D axisymmetric models)
Lumped Port
Magnetic Point Dipole (2D and 3D models)
Perfect Electric Conductor
Perfect Magnetic Conductor
Surface Current

In the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide:

Continuity on Interior Boundaries

See Also Identity and Contact Pairs

Specifying Boundary Conditions for Identity Pairs

To locate and search all the documentation, in COMSOL, select

Help>Documentation from the main menu and either enter a search term
Tip or look under a specific module in the documentation tree.

Wave Equation, Electric

The Wave Equation, Electric node is the main feature for the Electromagnetic Waves,
Transient interface. The governing equation can be written in the form

T H E E L E C T R O M A G N E T I C W A V E S , TR A N S I E N T I N T E R F A C E | 121
 A A
+ 0 0 r + r A = 0
1
0
t t t

for transient problems with the constitutive relations B0rH and D0rE. Other
constitutive relations can also be handled for transient problems. Also right-click the
Wave Equation, Electric node to add a Divergence Constraint subnode.

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains the feature to apply. The default setting is
to include all domains in the model.

MODEL INPUTS
This section contains field variables that appear as model inputs, if the settings include
such model inputs. By default, this section is empty.

ELECTRIC DISPLACEMENT FIELD

Select a Electric displacement field modelRelative permittivity (the default), Refractive
index, Polarization, or Remanent electric displacement.

Relative Permittivity
When Relative permittivity is selected, the default Relative permittivity r takes values
From material. If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or
Anisotropic and enter values or expressions in the field or matrix. When Porous media is
selected, right-click to add a Porous Media subnode.

Refractive Index
When Refractive index is selected, the default Refractive index n and Refractive index,
imaginary part k take the values From material. To specify the real and imaginary parts
of the refractive index and assume a relative permeability of unity and zero
conductivity, for one or both of the options, select User defined then choose Isotropic,
Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic. Enter values or expressions in the field or matrix.

Beware of the time-harmonic sign convention requiring a lossy material

having a negative imaginary part of the refractive index (see Introducing
Caution Losses in the Frequency Domain).

Polarization
If Polarization is selected enter coordinates for the Polarization P (SI unit: C/m2).

122 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Remanent Electric Displacement
If Remanent electric displacement is selected, enter coordinates for the Remanent electric
displacement Dr (SI unit: C/m2). Then select User defined or From Material as above
for the Relative permittivity r.

MAGNETIC FIELD
Select the Constitutive relationRelative permeability, Remanent flux density, or
Magnetization.

Relative Permeability
If Relative permeability is selected, the Relative permeability r uses values From
material. If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic
based on the characteristics of the magnetic field, and then enter values or expressions
in the field or matrix.

Remanent Flux Density

If Remanent flux density is selected, the Relative permeability r uses values From
material. If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic
based on the characteristics of the magnetic field, and then enter values or expressions
in the field or matrix. Then enter coordinates for the Remanent flux density Br (SI
unit: T). When Porous media is selected, right-click to add a Porous Media subnode.

Magnetization
If Magnetization is selected, enter coordinates for M (SI unit: A/M).

CONDUCTION CURRENT
By default, the Electrical conductivity (SI unit: S/m) uses values From material.

If User defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic based

on the characteristics of the current and enter values or expressions in the field or
matrix.
If Linearized resistivity is selected, the default values for the Reference temperature
Tref (SI unit: K), Resistivity temperature coefficient (SI unit: 1/K), and Reference
resistivity 0 (SI unit: m) use values From material. Select User defined to enter
other values or expressions for any of these variables.
When Porous media is selected, right-click to add a Porous Media subnode.
When Archies law is selected, right-click to add an Archies Law subnode.

T H E E L E C T R O M A G N E T I C W A V E S , TR A N S I E N T I N T E R F A C E | 123
 Initial Values
The Initial Values feature adds an initial value for the magnetic vector potential and its
time derivative that serves as initial conditions for the transient simulation.

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to define an initial value.

INITIAL VALUES
Enter values or expressions for the initial values of the components of the magnetic
vector potential A (SI unit: Wb/m) and its time derivative At (SI unit: Wb/m/s).
The default values are 0.

124 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

The Transmission Line Interface
The Transmission Line interface ( ), found under the Radio Frequency branch ( )
in the Model Wizard, solves the time-harmonic transmission line equation for the
electric potential. The interface is used when solving for electromagnetic wave
propagation along one-dimensional transmission lines and is available in 1D, 2D and
3D.

The physics interface has Eigenfrequency and Frequency Domain study types available.
The frequency domain study is used for source driven simulations for a single
frequency or a sequence of frequencies.

When this interface is added, these default nodes are also added to the Model Builder
Transmission Line Equation, Absorbing Boundary, and Initial Values.Right-click the
Transmission Line node to add other features that implement boundary conditions.

Quarter-Wave Transformer: Model Library path

RF_Module/RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/quarter_wave_transformer
Model

INTERFACE IDENTIFIER
The interface identifier is a text string that can be used to reference the respective
physics interface if appropriate. Such situations could occur when coupling this
interface to another physics interface, or when trying to identify and use variables
defined by this physics interface, which is used to reach the fields and variables in
expressions, for example. It can be changed to any unique string in the Identifier field.

The default identifier (for the first interface in the model) is tl.

Select Edges for 3D models, Boundaries for 2D models, and Domains for
1D models. Points are available for all space dimensions (3D, 2D, and
Note 1D).

T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 125
 DOMAIN, EDGE, OR BOUNDARY SELECTION
The default setting is to include All edges (3D models), All boundaries (2D models), or
All domains (1D models) to define the dependent variables and the equations. To
choose specific geometric entities, select Manual from the Selection list.

POR T SWEEP SETTINGS

Enter a Reference impedance Zref (SI unit: ). The default is 50 .

Select the Activate port sweep check box to switch on the port sweep. When selected,
this invokes a parametric sweep over the ports/terminals in addition to the
automatically generated frequency sweep. The generated lumped parameters are in the
form of an impedance or admittance matrix depending on the port/terminal settings
which consistently must be of either fixed voltage or fixed current type.If Activate port
sweep is selected, enter a Sweep parameter name (the default is PortName) to assign a
specific name to the variable that controls the port number solved for during the
sweep.

For this interface, the lumped parameters are subject to Touchstone file export. Click
Browse to locate the file, or enter a file name and path. Select an Output format
Magnitude angle, Magnitude (dB) angle, or Real imaginary.

DEPENDENT VARIABLES
The dependent variable (field variable) is the Electric potential V (SI unit: V). The name
can be changed but the names of fields and dependent variables must be unique within
a model.

DISCRETIZATION
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Discretization. Select
Linear, Quadratic (the default), Cubic, Quartic, or Quintic for the Electric potential.
Specify the Value type when using splitting of complex variablesReal or Complex (the
default).

Show More Physics Options

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the
Transmission Line Equation Interface
See Also Theory for the Transmission Line Interface
Working with Geometry in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

126 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the
Transmission Line Equation Interface
The Transmission Line Interface has these domain, boundary, edge, point, and pair
features available and listed in alphabetical order:

Select Edges for 3D models, Boundaries for 2D models, and Domains for
1D models. Points are available for all space dimensions (3D, 2D, and
1D).
Note
For all space dimensions, select Points for the boundary condition.

Absorbing Boundary
Incoming Wave
Initial Values
Open Circuit
Terminating Impedance
Transmission Line Equation
Short Circuit
Lumped Port

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

In the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide:

Continuity on Interior Boundaries

See Also
Identity and Contact Pairs
Specifying Boundary Conditions for Identity Pairs

Transmission Line Equation

The Transmission Line Equation node is the main feature of the Transmission Line
interface. It defines the 1D wave equation for the electric potential. The wave equation
is written in the form

1 - V
-------------------- G + iC V = 0
x R + iL x

T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 127
 where R, L, G, and C are the distributed resistance, inductance, conductance, and
capacitance, respectively.

DOMAIN, EDGE, OR BOUNDARY SELECTION

The default setting is to include All edges (3D models), All boundaries (2D models), or
All domains (1D models) in the model. This cannot be edited.

TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E E Q U A T I O N
Enter the values for the following:

Distributed resistance R (SI unit: mkg/(s3A2)). The default is 0.

Distributed inductance L (SI unit: H/m). The default is 2.5e-6 H/m.
Distributed conductance G (SI unit: S/m). The default is 0.
Distributed capacitance C (SI unit: F/m). The default is 1e-9 F/m.

The default values give a characteristic impedance for the transmission line of 50

Initial Values
The Initial Values feature adds an initial value for the electric potential that can serve as
an initial guess for a nonlinear solver.

Select Edges for 3D models, Boundaries for 2D models, and Domains for
1D models.
Note

DOMAIN, EDGE, OR BOUNDARY SELECTION

The default setting is to include All edges, All boundaries, or All domains in the model.
This cannot be edited.

INITIAL VALUES
Enter values or expressions for the initial values of the Electric potential V (SI unit: V).
The default is 0.

Absorbing Boundary
The Absorbing Boundary condition is stated as

128 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 n V - ------ V
-------------------- + = 0
R + jL Z 0

where is the complex propagation constant defined by

= R + iL G + iC

and n is the normal pointing out of the domain. The condition prescribes that
propagating waves are absorbed at the boundary and, thus, that there is no reflection
at the boundary.

The Absorbing Boundary condition is only available on external boundaries.

BOUND AR Y OR PO INT S ELECTION

The default setting is to include All points (3D and 2D models) or All boundaries (1D
models) in the model. This cannot be edited.

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

See Also

Incoming Wave
The Incoming Wave boundary condition

n V - --------------------
V 2V 0
-------------------- + = 0
R + jL Z0

lets a wave of complex amplitude Vin enter the domain. The complex propagation
constant and the outwards-pointing normal n are defined in the section describing
the Absorbing Boundary feature.

The Incoming Wave boundary condition is only available on external boundaries.

For 2D and 3D models, select Points for the boundary condition. For 1D
models, select Boundaries.
Note

T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 129
 BOUNDAR Y OR POINT SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the Points or Boundaries to model as incoming wave.

VO L T A G E
Enter the value or expression for the input Electric potential V0 (SI unit: V). The
default is 1 V.

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

See Also

Open Circuit
The Open Circuit boundary condition is a special case of the Terminating Impedance
boundary condition, assuming an infinite impedance, and, thus, zero current at the
boundary. The condition is thus

n V = 0

The Open Circuit boundary condition is only available on external boundaries.

For 2D and 3D models, select Points for the boundary condition. For 1D
models, select Boundaries.
Note

BOUNDAR Y OR POINT SELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the Points or Boundaries to specify the open circuit
boundary condition.

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

See Also

Terminating Impedance
The Terminating Impedance boundary condition

130 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 n V - ------ V
-------------------- + - = 0
R + jL Z L

specifies the terminating impedance to be ZL. Notice that the Absorbing Boundary
condition is a special case of this boundary condition for the case when

R + jL
ZL = Z0 = ----------------------
G + jC

The Open Circuit and Short Circuit boundary conditions are also special cases of this
condition. The Terminating Impedance boundary condition is only available on external
boundaries.

For 2D and 3D models, select Points for the boundary condition. For 1D
models, select Boundaries.
Note

BOUND AR Y OR PO INT S ELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the Points or Boundaries to specify the terminating
impedance boundary condition.

IMPEDANCE
Enter the value or expression for the Impedance ZL (SI unit: ). The default is 50 .

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

See Also

T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 131
 Short Circuit
The Short Circuit feature is a special case of the Terminating Impedance boundary
condition, assuming that impedance is zero and, thus, the electric potential is zero. The
constraint at this boundary is, thus, V 0.

For 2D and 3D models, select Points for the boundary condition. For 1D
models, select Boundaries.
Note

BOUNDAR Y OR POINT SELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the Points or Boundaries to specify the short circuit
boundary condition.

CONSTRAINT SETTINGS
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Advanced Physics Options.
Select a Constraint typeBidirectional, symmetric or Unidirectional. If required, select
the Use weak constraints check box.

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

See Also Show More Physics Options

Lumped Port
Use the Lumped Port feature to apply a voltage or current excitation of a model or to
connect to a circuit. The Lumped Port feature also defines S-parameters (reflection and
transmission coefficients) that can be used in later post-processing steps.

For 2D and 3D models, select Points for the boundary condition. For 1D
models, select Boundaries.
Note

BOUNDAR Y OR POINT SELECTION

From the Selection list, choose the Points or Boundaries to specify the lumped port.

132 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

PO R T PRO PER TIES
Enter a unique Port Name. It is recommended to use a numeric name as it is used to
define the elements of the S-parameter matrix and numeric port names are also
required for port sweeps and Touchstone file export.

Select a Type of PortCable (the default), Current, or Circuit.

SETTINGS

If a Circuit port type is selected under Port Properties, this section does not
require any selection.
Note

If a Cable port type is selected under Port Properties, enter the Characteristic
impedance Zref (SI unit: ). The default is 50 .
If a Current terminal type is selected under Port Properties, enter a Terminal
current I0 (SI unit: A). The default is 1 A.

For 1D and 2D models and if Cable is selected as the port type, first select
the Wave excitation at this port check box to enter values or expressions
1D for the:

Electric potential V0 (SI unit: V). The default is 1 V.

2D Port phase in (SI unit: rad). The default is 0.

S-Parameters and Ports

Lumped Ports with Voltage Input
See Also
Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 133
 Theory for the Electromagnetic
Waves Interfaces
The Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency Domain Interface and The Electromagnetic
Waves, Transient Interface theory is described in this section:

Introduction to the RF Interface Equations

Frequency Domain Equation
Time Domain Equation
Vector Elements
Eigenfrequency Calculations
Effective Conductivity in Porous Media and Mixtures
Effective Relative Permeability in Porous Media and Mixtures
Archies Law Theory

Introduction to the RF Interface Equations

Formulations for high-frequency waves can be derived from Maxwell-Ampres and
Faradays laws,

D
H = J + -------
t
------
B-
E =
t

Using the constitutive relations for linear materials DE and BH as well as a

current JE, these two equations become

E
H = E + ----------
t
H
E = --------
t

Frequency Domain Equation

Writing the fields on a time-harmonic form, assuming a sinusoidal excitation and linear
media,

134 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 jt
E x y z t = E x y z e
jt
H x y z t = H x y z e

the two laws can be combined into a time harmonic equation for the electric field, or
a similar equation for the magnetic field

1 E 2 c E = 0
1
c H 2 H = 0

The first of these, based on the electric field is used in The Electromagnetic Waves,
Frequency Domain Interface.

Using the relation r = n2, where n is the refractive index, the equation can
alternatively be written

2 2
E k0 n E = 0

The wave number in vacuum k0 is defined by

k 0 = 0 0 = -----
c0

where c0 is the speed of light in vacuum.

When the equation is written using the refractive index, the assumption is that r = 1
and = 0 and only the constitutive relations for linear materials are available. When
solving for the scattered field the same equations are used but EEscEi and Esc is
the dependent variable.

EIGENFREQUENCY ANALYSIS
When solving the frequency domain equation as an eigenfrequency problem the
eigenvalue is the complex eigenfrequency j, where is the damping of the
solution. The Q-factor is given from the eigenvalue by the formula

Q fact = ---------
2

MODE ANALYSIS AND BOUNDARY MODE ANALYSIS

In mode analysis and boundary mode analysis COMSOL Multiphysics solves for the
propagation constant, which is possible for the Perpendicular Waves and
Boundary-Mode Analysis problem types. The time-harmonic representation is almost

THEOR Y FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES INTERFACES | 135

 the same as for the eigenfrequency analysis, but with a known propagation in the
out-of-plane direction

jt jz jt z
E r t = Re E r T e = Re E r e

The spatial parameter, zj, can have a real part and an imaginary part. The
propagation constant is equal to the imaginary part, and the real part, z, represents
the damping along the propagation direction. When solving for all three electric field
components the allowed anisotropy of the optionally complex relative permittivity and
relative permeability is limited to:

rxx rxy 0 rxx rxy 0

rc = ryx ryy 0 r = ryx ryy 0
0 0 rzz 0 0 rzz

Limiting the electric field component solved for to the out-of-plane

component for TE modes, requires that the medium is homogeneous,
that is, and are constant. When solving for the in-plane electric field
components for TM modes, may vary but must be constant. It is
Important strongly recommended to use the most general approach, that is solving
for all three components which is sometimes referred to as perpendicular
hybrid-mode waves.

Variables Influenced by Mode Analysis

The following table lists the variables that are influenced by the mode analysis:

NAME EXPRESSION CAN BE COMPLEX DESCRIPTION

beta imag(-lambda) No Propagation constant

dampz real(-lambda) No Attenuation constant
dampzdB 20*log10(exp(1))* No Attenuation per meter in dB
dampz
neff j*lambda/k0 Yes Effective mode index

136 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

PROPAGATING WAVES IN 2D

In 2D, different polarizations can be chosen by selecting to solve for a

subset of the 3D vector components. When selecting all three
components, the 3D equation applies with the addition that out-of-plane
2D
spatial derivatives are set to zero.

In-plane Hybrid-Mode Waves

Solving for all three components in 2D is referred to as hybrid-mode waves. The
equation is formally the same as in 3D with the addition that out-of-plane spatial
derivatives are set to zero.

In-plane TM Waves
The TM waves polarization has only one magnetic field component in the z direction,
and the electric field lies in the modeling plane. Thus the time-harmonic fields can be
obtained by solving for the in-plane electric field components only. The equation is
formally the same as in 3D, the only difference being that the out-of-plane electric field
component is zero everywhere and that out-of-plane spatial derivatives are set to zero.

In-plane TE Waves
As the field propagates in the modeling xy-plane a TE wave has only one non zero
electric field component, namely in the z direction. The magnetic field lies in the
modeling plane. Thus the time-harmonic fields can be simplified to a scalar equation
for Ez,

2
r E z rzz k 0 E z = 0

where

T
r
r = -------------------
det r

To be able to write the fields in this form, it is also required that r, , and r are
nondiagonal only in the xy-plane. r denotes a 2-by-2 tensor, and rzz and zz are the
relative permittivity and conductivity in the z direction.

Axisymmetric Hybrid-Mode Waves

Solving for all three components in 2D is referred to as hybrid-mode waves. The
equation is formally the same as in 3D with the addition that spatial derivatives with
respect to are set to zero.

THEOR Y FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES INTERFACES | 137

 Axisymmetric TM Waves
A TM wave has a magnetic field with only a component and thus an electric field
with components in the rz-plane only. The equation is formally the same as in 3D, the
only difference being that the component is zero everywhere and that spatial
derivatives with respect to are set to zero.

Axisymmetric TE Waves
A TE wave has only an electric field component in the direction, and the magnetic
field lies in the modeling plane. Given these constraints, the 3D equation can be
simplified to a scalar equation for E . To write the fields in this form, it is also required
that r and r are non diagonal only in the rz-plane. r denotes a 2-by-2 tensor, and
r and are the relative permittivity and conductivity in the direction.

INTRODUCING LOSSES IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN

Electric Losses
The frequency domain equations allow for several ways of introducing electric losses.
Finite conductivity results in a complex permittivity,

c = j ----

The conductivity gives rise to ohmic losses in the medium.

A more general approach is to use a complex permittivity,

c = 0 ' j''

where ' is the real part of r, and all losses are given by ''. This dielectric loss model
can be combined with a finite conductivity resulting in:

c = 0 ' j --------- + ''
0

The complex permittivity may also be introduced as a loss tangent:

c = 0 ' 1 j tan

When specifying losses through a loss tangent, conductivity is not allowed

as an input.
Note

138 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

In optics and photonics applications, the refractive index is often used instead of the
permittivity. In materials where r is 1, the relation between the complex refractive
index

n = n j

and the complex relative permittivity is

2
rc = n

that is

2 2
' r = n
'' r = 2n

The inverse relations are

2 1 2 2
n = --- ' r + ' r + '' r
2
2 1 2 2
= --- ' r + ' r + '' r
2

The parameter represents a damping of the electromagnetic wave. When specifying

the refractive index, conductivity is not allowed as an input.

In the physics and optics literature, the time harmonic form is often
written with a minus sign (and i instead of j).

i t
E x y z t = E x y z e

This makes an important difference in how loss is represented by complex

Note material coefficients like permittivity and refractive index, that is, by
having a positive imaginary part rather than a negative one. Therefore,
material data taken from the literature may have to be conjugated before
using in a COMSOL model.

Magnetic Losses
The frequency domain equations allow for magnetic losses to be introduced as a
complex relative permeability.

THEOR Y FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES INTERFACES | 139

 r = ' j''

The complex relative permeability may be combined with any electric loss model
except refractive index.

Time Domain Equation

The relations HA and EAt make it possible to rewrite
Maxwell-Ampres law using the magnetic potential.

A A 1
0 + 0 + r A = 0
t t t

This is the equation used by The Electromagnetic Waves, Transient Interface. It is

suitable for the simulation of non-sinusoidal waveforms or non linear media.

Using the relation r = n2, where n is the refractive index, the equations can
alternatively be written

2 A
0 0 n + A = 0
t t

WAVE S IN 2D

In 2D, different polarizations can be chosen by selecting to solve for a

subset of the 3D vector components. When selecting all three
components, the 3D equation applies with the addition that out-of-plane
2D
spatial derivatives are set to zero.

In-plane Hybrid-Mode Waves

Solving for all three components in 2D is referred to as hybrid-mode waves. The
equation form is formally the same as in 3D with the addition that out-of-plane spatial
derivatives are set to zero.

In-plane TM Waves
The TM waves polarization has only one magnetic field component in the z direction,
and thus the electric field and vector potential lie in the modeling plane. Hence it is
obtained by solving only for the in-plane vector potential components. The equation
is formally the same as in 3D, the only difference being that the out-of-plane vector

140 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

potential component is zero everywhere and that out-of-plane spatial derivatives are
set to zero.

In-plane TE Waves
As the field propagates in the modeling xy-plane a TE wave has only one nonzero
vector potential component, namely in the z direction. The magnetic field lies in the
modeling plane. Thus the equation in the time domain can be simplified to a scalar
equation for Az:

A z A z
+ 0 0 r
1
0 + r A z = 0
t t t

Using the relation r = n2, where n is the refractive index, the equation can
alternatively be written

n 2 A z A
0 0 + z = 0
t t

When using the refractive index, the assumption is that r = 1 and = 0 and only the
constitutive relations for linear materials can be used.

Axisymmetric Hybrid-Mode Waves

Solving for all three components in 2D is referred to as hybrid-mode waves. The
equation form is formally the same as in 3D with the addition that spatial derivatives
with respect to are set to zero.

Axisymmetric TM Waves
TM waves have a magnetic field with only a component and thus an electric field
and a magnetic vector potential with components in the rz-plane only. The equation
is formally the same as in 3D, the only difference being that the component is zero
everywhere and that spatial derivatives with respect to are set to zero.

Axisymmetric TE Waves
A TE wave has only a vector potential component in the direction, and the magnetic
field lies in the modeling plane. Given these constraints, the 3D equation can be
simplified to a scalar equation for A . To write the fields in this form, it is also required
that r and r are nondiagonal only in the rz-plane. r denotes a 2-by-2 tensor, and
r and are the relative permittivity and conductivity in the direction.

THEOR Y FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES INTERFACES | 141

 Vector Elements
Whenever solving for more than a single vector component, it is not possible to use
Lagrange elements for electromagnetic wave modeling. The reason is that they force
the fields to be continuous everywhere. This implies that the interface conditions,
which specify that the normal components of the electric and magnetic fields are
discontinuous across interior boundaries between media with different permittivity
and permeability, cannot be fulfilled. To overcome this problem, the Electromagnetic
Waves, Frequency Domain physics interface uses vector elements, which do not have
this limitation.

The solution obtained when using vector elements also better fulfills the divergence
conditions D0 and B0 than when using Lagrange elements.

Eigenfrequency Calculations
When making eigenfrequency calculations, there are a few important things to note:

Nonlinear eigenvalue problems appear for impedance boundary conditions with

nonzero conductivity and for scattering boundary conditions adjacent to domains
with nonzero conductivity. Such problems have to be treated specially.
Some of the boundary conditions, such as the surface current condition and the
electric field condition, can specify a source in the eigenvalue problem. These
conditions are available as a general tool to specify arbitrary expressions between the
H field and the E field. Avoid specifying solution-independent sources for these
conditions because the eigenvalue solver ignores them anyway.

Using the default parameters for the eigenfrequency study, it might find a large
number of false eigenfrequencies, which are almost zero. This is a known consequence
of using vector elements. To avoid these eigenfrequencies, change the parameters for
the eigenvalue solver in the Study settings. Adjust the settings so that the solver
searches for eigenfrequencies closer to the lowest eigenfrequency than to zero.

Effective Conductivity in Porous Media and Mixtures

When handling electric currents in porous media or mixtures of solids with different
electric properties, you must consider different ways for obtaining the Effective
conductivity of the mixture.

142 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

There are several possible approaches to do this, starting from the values defined by
the user, composed by a volume fraction 1 of material 1, and a volume fraction
2 = 11 of material 2.

The effective conductivity is then given as input for the electric current conservation
specified in

d V J e = dQj

in the same way of modeling an effective (single phase) material.

VO L U M E A V E R A G E , C O N D U C T I V I T Y
If the electric conductivities of the two materials are not so different from each other,
a simple form of averaging can be used, such as a volume average:

= 1 1 + 2 2

here 1 is the conductivity of the material 1 and 2 is that of material 2. This is

equivalent to a parallel system of resistivities.

If the conductivities are defined by second order tensors (such as for

anisotropic materials), the volume average is applied element by element.
Note

VO L U M E A V E R A G E , R E S I S T I V I T Y
A similar expression for the effective conductivity can be used, which mimics a series
connection of resistivities. Equivalently, the effective conductivity is obtained from

--1- = -----1- + -----2-
1 2

If the conductivities are defined by second order tensors, the inverse of

the tensors are used.
Note

POWER L AW
A power law gives the following expression for the equivalent conductivity:

THEOR Y FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES INTERFACES | 143


= 11 22

The effective conductivity calculated by Volume Average, Conductivity is

the upper bound, the effective conductivity calculated by Volume
Average, Resistivity is the lower bound, and the Power Law average is
Note
somewhere in between these two.

Effective Relative Permeability in Porous Media and Mixtures

When handling electric currents in porous media or mixtures of solids with different
electric properties, you must consider different ways for obtaining the effective
relative permeability of the mixture.

There are several possible approaches to do this, starting from the values defined by
the user, composed by a volume fraction 1 of material 1, and a volume fraction
2 = 11 of material 2.

The effective relative permeability r is then given as input for the electric current
conservation specified in

in the same way of modeling an effective (single phase) material.

VO L U M E A VE R A G E , PE R M E A B I L I T Y
If the relative permeability of the two materials are not so different from each other,
the effective relative permeability r is calculated by simple volume average:

r = 1 1 + 2 2

here 1 is the relative permeability of the material 1, and 2 is that of material 2.

If the permeabilities are defined by second order tensors (such as for

anisotropic materials), the volume average is applied element by element.
Note

VO L U M E A VE R A G E , R E C I P R O C A L PE R M E A B I L I T Y
A similar expression for the effective permeability can be used, which mimics a series
connection of resistivities. Equivalently, the effective reciprocal permeability is
obtained from

144 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 1- 1 2
---- = ------ + ------
r 1 2

If the permeabilities are defined by second order tensors, the inverse of

the tensors are used.
Note

POWER L AW
A power law gives the following expression for the equivalent permeability:

r = 11 22

The effective permeability calculated by Volume Average, Permeability is

the upper bound, the effective permeability calculated by Volume
Average, Reciprocal Permeability is the lower bound, and the Power Law
Note
average gives a value somewhere in between these two.

Archies Law Theory

The electrical conductivity of the materials composing saturated rocks and soils can
vary over many orders of magnitude. For instance, in the petroleum reservoirs, normal
sea water (or brine) has a typical conductivity of around 3 S/m, whereas hydrocarbons
are typically much more resistive and have conductivities in the range 0.1 0.01 S/m.

The porous rocks and sediments may have even lower conductivities. In variably
saturated soils, the conductivity of air is roughly ten orders of magnitude lower that
the ground water. A simple volume average (of either conductivity or resistivity) in
rocks or soils might give different results compared to experimental data.

Since most crustal rocks, sedimentary rocks, and soils are formed by non-conducting
materials, Archie (Ref. 1) assumed that electric current are mainly caused by ion fluxes
trough the pore network. Originally, Archies law is an empirical law for the effective
conductivity of a fully-saturated rock or soil, but it can be extended to variably
saturated porous media.

Archies law relates the effective conductivity to the fluid conductivity L, fluid
saturation sL and porosity p:

THEOR Y FOR THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES INTERFACES | 145

 n m
= sL p L

here, m is the cementation exponent, a parameters that describes the connectivity of

the pores. The cementation exponent normally varies between 1.3 and 2.5 for most
sedimentary rocks, and it is close to 2 for sandstones. The lower limit m represents
a volume average of the conductivities of a fully saturated, insulating (zero
conductivity) porous matrix, and a conducting fluid. The saturation coefficient n is
normally close to 2.

The ratio F Lis called the formation factor.

Tip

Archies Law does not take care of the relative permittivity of either fluids or solids, so
the effective relative permittivity of the porous medium is normally consider as r .

REFERENCE
1. G.E. Archie, The Electric Resistivity as an Aid in Determining Some Reservoir
Characteristics, Trans. Am. Inst. Metal. Eng. 146, 5462, 1942.

146 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

Theory for the Transmission Line
Interface
The following sections describe the theory behind The Transmission Line Interface.

Introduction to Transmission Line Theory

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

Introduction to Transmission Line Theory

Figure 4-2 is a drawing of a transmission line of length L. The distributed resistance R,
inductance L, conductance G, and capacitance C, characterize the properties of the
transmission line.

Figure 4-2: Schematic of a transmission line with a load impedance.

The distribution of the electric potential V and the current I describes the propagation
of the signal wave along the line. The following equations relate the current and the
electric potential

V
= R + jL I (4-1)
x

I
= G + jC V (4-2)
x

Equation 4-1 and Equation 4-2 can be combined to the second-order partial
differential equation

T H E O R Y F O R T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 147
 2
V 2
2
= V (4-3)
x

where

= R + jL G + jC = + j

Here , , and are called the complex propagation constant, the attenuation
constant, and the (real) propagation constant, respectively.

The attenuation constant, , is zero if R and G are zero.

Note

The solution to Equation 4-3 represents a forward- and a backward-propagating wave

x x (4-4)
V x = V+ e + V- e

By inserting Equation 4-4 in Equation 4-1 you get the current distribution

x x
I x = --------------------- V + e V - e
R + jL

If only a forward-propagating wave is present in the transmission line (no reflections),

dividing the voltage by the current gives the characteristic impedance of the
transmission line

V R + jL R + jL-
Z 0 = ---- = --------------------- = ---------------------
I G + jC

To make sure that the current is conserved across internal boundaries, COMSOL
Multiphysics solves the following wave equation (instead of Equation 4-3)

1 - V
-------------------- G + jC V = 0 (4-5)
x R + jL x

Theory for the Transmission Line Boundary Conditions

The Transmission Line Interface has these boundary conditions:

148 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 V1 = V2 (4-6)

and

I1 = I2 (4-7)

In Equation 4-6 and Equation 4-7, the indices 1 and 2 denote the domains on the two
sides of the boundary. The currents flowing out of a boundary are given by

n i V i
I i = ------------------------- , i = 1 2
R i + jL i

where ni are the normals pointing out of the domain.

Because V is solved for, the electric potential is always continuous, and thus
Equation 4-6 is automatically fulfilled. Equation 4-7 is equivalent to the natural
boundary condition

1 - V
-------------------------- --------------------------- V
1
= 0
R 2 + jL 2 x 2 R 1 + jL 1 x 1

which is fulfilled with the wave equation formulation in Equation 4-5.

When the transmission line is terminated by a load impedance, as Figure 4-2 shows,
the current though the load impedance is given by

V L
I L = ------------- (4-8)
ZL

Inserting Equation 4-1into Equation 4-8, results in the Terminating Impedance

boundary condition

1 - V V (4-9)
-------------------- + ------- = 0
R + jL x Z L

If the arbitrary load impedance ZL is replaced by the characteristic impedance of the

transmission line Z0 you get the Absorbing Boundary condition. By inserting the
voltage, defined in Equation 4-4, in Equation 4-9 you can verify that the boundary
condition doesnt allow any reflected wave (that is, V- is zero).

The Open Circuit boundary condition is obtain by letting the load impedance become
infinitely large, that is, no current flows through the load impedance.

T H E O R Y F O R T H E TR A N S M I S S I O N L I N E I N T E R F A C E | 149
 On the other hand, the Short Circuit boundary condition specifies that the voltage at
the load should be zero. In COMSOL Multiphysics this is implemented as a constraint
on the electric potential.

To excite the transmission line, you use the Incoming Wave boundary condition.
Referring to the left (input) end of the transmission line in Figure 4-2, the forward
propagating wave has a voltage amplitude of V0. Thus, the total voltage at this
boundary is given by

V 0 = V = V0 + V-

Thereby, the current can be written as

1 V 1 2V 0 V
I 0 = --------------------- = ------ V 0 V - = --------------------
R + jL x x=0
Z0 Z0

resulting in the boundary condition

1 V V 2V 0
--------------------- + -------------------- = 0
R + jL x Z0

For the Lumped Port boundary condition, the port current (positive when entering
the transmission line) defines the boundary condition as

1 V
--------------------- I port = 0
R + jL x

where the port current Iport is given by

2V 0 V
I port = --------------------
Z0

for a Cable lumped port (see the Lumped Port section for a description of the lumped
port settings).

For a Current-controlled lumped port, you provide Iport as an input parameter, whereas
it is part of an electrical circuit equation for a Circuit-based lumped port.

150 | CHAPTER 4: THE RADIO FREQUENCY BRANCH

 5

The ACDC Branch

This chapter summarizes the functionality of the electrical circuit interface found
under the AC/DC branch ( ) in the Model Wizard.

In this chapter:

The Electrical Circuit Interface

Theory for the Electrical Circuit Interface

151
 The Electrical Circuit Interface
The Electrical Circuit interface ( ), found under the AC/DC branch ( ) in the Model
Wizard, has the equations for modeling electrical circuits with or without connections
to a distributed fields model, solving for the voltages, currents and charges associated
with the circuit elements.

When this interface is added, it adds a default Ground Node feature and associates that
with node zero in the electrical circuit.

Circuit nodes are nodes in the electrical circuit and should not be
confused with nodes in the model tree of COMSOL Multiphysics. Circuit
node names are not restricted to numerical values but can be arbitrary
Important
character strings.

INTERFACE IDENTIFIER
The interface identifier is a text string that can be used to reference the respective
physics interface if appropriate. Such situations could occur when coupling this
interface to another physics interface, or when trying to identify and use variables
defined by this physics interface, which is used to reach the fields and variables in
expressions, for example. It can be changed to any unique string in the Identifier field.

The default identifier (for the first interface in the model) is cir.

152 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

 Theory for the Electrical Circuit Interface
Connecting to Electrical Circuits
Ground Node
Resistor
Capacitor
Inductor
Voltage Source
Current Source
Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source
Voltage-Controlled Current Source
Current-Controlled Voltage Source
See Also
Current-Controlled Current Source
Subcircuit Definition
Subcircuit Instance
NPN BJT
n-Channel MOSFET
Diode
External I vs. U
External U vs. I
External I-Terminal
SPICE Circuit Import

Ground Node
The Ground Node node ( ) adds a ground node with the default node number zero
to the electrical circuit. This is the default feature in the Electrical Circuit interface.

GROUND CONNECTION
Set the Node name for the ground node in the circuit. The convention is to use zero
for the ground node.

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 153

 Resistor
The Resistor node ( ) connects a resistor between two nodes in the electrical circuit.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the resistor. If the ground node
is involved, the convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the Resistance of the resistor.

Capacitor
The Capacitor node ( ) connects a capacitor between two nodes in the electrical
circuit.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the capacitor. If the ground node
is involved, the convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the Capacitance of the capacitor.

Inductor
The Inductor node ( ) connects an inductor between two nodes in the electrical
circuit.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the inductor. If the ground node
is involved, the convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the Inductance of the inductor.

Voltage Source
The Voltage Source node ( ) connects a voltage source between two nodes in the
electrical circuit.

154 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the voltage source. The first node
represents the positive reference terminal. If the ground node is involved, the
convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the Source type that should be adapted to the selected study type. It can be
DC-source, AC-source, or a time-dependent Sine source. Depending on the choice of
source, also specify the Voltage, Vsrc, the offset Voltage, Voff, the Frequency, and the
Source phase. All values are peak values rather than RMS.

For the AC source, the frequency is a global input set by the solver so do
not use the Sine source unless the model is time dependent.
Note

Current Source
The Current Source node ( ) connects a current source between two nodes in the
electrical circuit.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the current source. The first node
represents the positive reference terminal from which the current flows through the
source to the second node. If the ground node is involved, the convention is to use
zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the Source type which should be adapted to the selected study type. It can be
DC-source, AC-source or a time-dependent Sine source. Depending on the choice of
source, also specify the Current, Isrc, the offset Current, Ioff, the Frequency and the Source
phase. All values are peak values rather than RMS.

For the AC source, the frequency is a global input set by the solver so do
not use the Sine source unless the model is time-dependent.
Note

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 155

 Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source
The Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source node ( ) connects a voltage-controlled voltage
source between two nodes in the electrical circuit. A second pair of nodes define the
input control voltage.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify four Node names: the first pair for the connection nodes for the voltage source
and the second pair defining the input control voltage. The first node in a pair
represents the positive reference terminal. If the ground node is involved, the
convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the voltage Gain. The resulting voltage is this number multiplied by the control
voltage.

Voltage-Controlled Current Source

The Voltage-Controlled Current Source node ( ) connects a voltage-controlled
current source between two nodes in the electrical circuit. A second pair of nodes
define the input control voltage.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify four Node names: the first pair for the connection nodes for the current source
and the second pair defining the input control voltage. The first node in a pair
represents the positive voltage reference terminal or the one from which the current
flows through the source to the second node. If the ground node is involved, the
convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the voltage Gain. The resulting current is this number multiplied by the control
voltage. Thus it formally has the unit of conductance.

Current-Controlled Voltage Source

The Current-Controlled Voltage Source node ( ) connects a current-controlled
voltage source between two nodes in the electrical circuit. The input control current
is the one flowing through a named device that must be a two-pin device.

156 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set two Node names for the connection nodes for the voltage source. The first node in
a pair represents the positive reference terminal. If the ground node is involved, the
convention is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the voltage Gain and the Device (any two-pin device) name. The resulting voltage
is this number multiplied by the control current through the named Device (any
two-pin device). Thus it formally has the unit of resistance.

Current-Controlled Current Source

The Current-Controlled Current Source node ( ) connects a current-controlled
current source between two nodes in the electrical circuit. The input control current
is the one flowing through a named device that must be a two-pin device.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify two Node names for the connection nodes for the current source. The first node
in a pair represents the positive reference terminal from which the current flows
through the source to the second node. If the ground node is involved, the convention
is to use zero for this.

DEVICE PARAMETERS
Enter the current Gain and the Device (any two-pin-device) name. The resulting current
is this number multiplied by the control current through the named Device (any
two-pin device).

Subcircuit Definition
The Subcircuit Definition node ( ) is used to define subcircuits. Right-click a
subcircuit definition node to add all circuit features available except for the subcircuit
definition feature itself. Also right-click to Rename the node.

SUBCIRCUIT PINS
Define the Pin names at which the subcircuit connects to the main circuit or to other
subcircuits when referenced by a Subcircuit Instance feature. The Pin names refer to
circuit nodes in the subcircuit. The order in which the Pin names are defined is the
order in which they are referenced by a Subcircuit Instance feature.

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 157

 Subcircuit Instance
The Subcircuit Instance node ( ) is used to refer to defined subcircuits.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Select the Name of subcircuit link from the list of defined subcircuits in the circuit model
and the circuit Node names at which the subcircuit instance connects to the main circuit
or to another subcircuit if used therein.

NPN BJT
The NPN BJT device model ( ) is a large-signal model for an NPN bipolar junction
transistor (BJT). It is an advanced device model and no thorough description and
motivation of the many input parameters is attempted here. The interested reader is
referred to Ref. 2 for more details on semiconductor modeling within circuits. Many
device manufacturers provide model input parameters for this BJT model. For any
particular make of BJT, the device manufacturer should be the primary source of
information.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify three Node names for the connection nodes for the NPN BJT device. These
represent the collector, base, and emitter nodes, respectively. If the ground node is
involved, the convention is to use zero for this.

MODEL PARAMETERS
Specify the Model Parameters. Reasonable defaults are provided but for any particular
BJT, the device manufacturer should be the primary source of information.

For an explanation of the Model Parameters see NPN Bipolar Transistor.

See Also

n-Channel MOSFET
The n-Channel MOSFET device model ( ) is a large-signal model for an n-Channel
MOS transistor (MOSFET). It is an advanced device model and no thorough
description and motivation of the many input parameters is attempted here. The
interested reader is referred to Ref. 2 for more details on semiconductor modeling

158 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

within circuits. Many device manufacturers provide model parameters for this
MOSFET model. For any particular make of MOSFET, the device manufacturer
should be the primary source of information.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify four Node names for the connection nodes for the n-Channel MOSFET device.
These represent the drain, gate, source, and bulk nodes, respectively. If the ground
node is involved, the convention is to use zero for this.

MODEL PARAMETERS
Specify the Model Parameters. Reasonable defaults are provided but for any particular
MOSFET, the device manufacturer should be the primary source of information.

For an explanation of the Model Parameters see n-Channel MOS

Transistor.
See Also

Diode
The Diode device model ( ) is a large-signal model for a diode. It is an advanced
device model and no thorough description and motivation of the many input
parameters is attempted here. The interested reader is referred to Ref. 2 for more
details on semiconductor modeling within circuits. Many device manufacturers
provide model parameters for this diode model. For any particular make of diode, the
device manufacturer should be the primary source of information.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify two Node names for the positive and negative nodes for the Diode device. If the
ground node is involved, the convention is to use zero for this.

MODEL PARAMETERS
Specify the Model Parameters. Reasonable defaults are provided but for any particular
diode, the device manufacturer should be the primary source of information.

For an explanation of the Model Parameters see Diode.

See Also

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 159

 External I vs. U
The External I vs. U node ( ) connects an arbitrary voltage measurement, for
example a circuit terminal or circuit port boundary or a coil domain from another
physics interface, as a source between two nodes in the electrical circuit. The resulting
circuit current from the first node to the second node is typically coupled back as a
prescribed current source in the context of the voltage measurement.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the voltage source. The first
node represents the positive reference terminal. If the ground node is involved, the
convention is to use zero for this.

EXTERNAL DEVICE
Enter the source of the Voltage. If circuit or current excited terminals or circuit ports
are defined on boundaries or a multiturn coil domains is defined in other physics
interfaces, these display as options in the Voltage list. Also select the User defined option
and enter your own voltage variable, for example, using a suitable coupling operator.
For inductive or electromagnetic wave propagation models, the voltage measurement
must be performed as an integral of the electric field as the electric potential only does
not capture induced EMF. Also the integration must be performed over a distance that
is short compared to the local wavelength.

Except for when coupling to a circuit terminal or circuit port, the current
flow variable must be manually coupled back in the electrical circuit to the
context of the voltage measurement. This applies also when coupling to a
current excited terminal. The name of this current variable follows the
convention cirn.IvsUm_i, where cirn is the tag of the Electrical Circuit
Important
interface node and IvsUm is the tag of the External I vs. U node. The
mentioned tags are typically displayed within curly braces {} in the model
tree.

Model Couplings in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

See Also

160 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

 External U vs. I
The External U vs. I node ( ) connects an arbitrary current measurement, for
example, from another physics interface, as a source between two nodes in the
electrical circuit. The resulting circuit voltage between the first node and the second
node is typically coupled back as a prescribed voltage source in the context of the
current measurement.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Specify the two Node names for the connecting nodes for the current source. The
current flows from the first node to the second node. If the ground node is involved,
the convention is to use zero for this.

EXTERNAL DEVICE
Enter the source of the Current. Voltage excited terminals or lumped ports defined on
boundaries in other physics interfaces are natural candidates but do not appear as
options in the Voltage list because those do not have an accurate built-in current
measurement variable. A User defined option must be selected and a current variable
entered, for example, using a suitable coupling operator.

The voltage variable must be manually coupled back in the electrical

circuit to the context of the current measurement. This applies also when
coupling to a voltage excited terminal or lumped port. The name of this
voltage variable follows the convention cirn.UvsIm_v, where cirn is the
Important tag of the Electrical Circuit interface node and UvsIm is the tag of the
External U vs. I node. The mentioned tags are typically displayed within
curly braces {} in the model tree.

Model Couplings in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

See Also

External I-Terminal
The External I-Terminal node ( ) connects an arbitrary voltage-to-ground
measurement, for example, a circuit terminal boundary from another physics interface,
as a voltage-to-ground assignment to a node in the electrical circuit. The resulting

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 161

 circuit current from the node is typically coupled back as a prescribed current source
in the context of the voltage measurement. This feature does not apply when coupling
to inductive or electromagnetic wave propagation models as then voltage must be
defined as a line integral between two points rather than a single point measurement
of electric potential. For such couplings, use the External I vs. U feature instead.

NODE CONNECTIONS
Set the Node name for the connecting node for the voltage assignment.

E X T E R N A L TE R M I N A L
Enter the source of the Voltage. If circuit- or current-excited terminals are defined on
boundaries in other physics interfaces, these display as options in the Voltage list. Also
select the User defined option and enter a voltage variable, for example, using a suitable
coupling operator.

Except for when coupling to a circuit terminal, the current flow variable
must be manually coupled back in the electrical circuit to the context of
the voltage measurement. This applies also when coupling to a current
excited terminal. The name of this current variable follows the convention
cirn.termIm_i, where cirn is the tag of the Electrical Circuit interface
Important
node and termIm is the tag of the External I-Terminal node. The
mentioned tags are typically displayed within curly braces {} in the model
tree.

Model Couplings in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

See Also

SPICE Circuit Import

Right-click the Electrical Circuit node ( ) to import an existing SPICE netlist (select
Import Spice Netlist). A window opensenter a file location or browse your directories
to find one. The default file extension for a SPICE netlist is .cir. The SPICE circuit
import translates the imported netlist into Electrical Circuit interface nodes so these
define the subset of SPICE features that can be imported.

162 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

Theory for the Electrical Circuit
Interface
The Electrical Circuit Interface theory is discussed in this section:

Electric Circuit Modeling and the Semiconductor Device Models

NPN Bipolar Transistor
n-Channel MOS Transistor
Diode
References for the Electrical Circuit Interface

Electric Circuit Modeling and the Semiconductor Device Models

Electrical circuit modeling capabilities are useful when simulating all sorts of electrical
and electromechanical devices ranging from heaters and motors to advanced plasma
reactors in the semiconductor industry. There are two fundamental ways that an
electrical circuit model relates to a physical field model.

- Either the field model is used to get a better, more accurate description of a single
device in the electrical circuit model or
- the electrical circuit is used to drive or terminate the device in the field model in
such a way that it makes more sense to simulate both as a tightly coupled system.
The Electrical Circuit interface makes it is possible to add nodes representing circuit
elements directly to the model tree in a COMSOL Multiphysics model. The circuit
variables can then be connected to a physical device model to perform co-simulations
of circuits and multiphysics. The model acts as a device connected to the circuit so that
its behavior is analyzed in larger systems.

THEORY FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 163

 The fundamental equations solved by the electrical circuit interface are Kirchhoffs
circuit laws, which in turn can be deduced from Maxwells equations. The supported
study types are Stationary, Frequency Domain, and Time Dependent.

The circuit definition in COMSOL Multiphysics adheres to the SPICE

format developed at University of California, Berkeley (Ref. 1) and
SPICE netlists can also be imported, generating the corresponding
Note features in the COMSOL Multiphysics model. Most circuit simulators
can export to this format or some dialect of it.

There are three more advanced large-signal semiconductor device features available in
the Electrical Circuit interface. The equivalent circuits and the equations defining their
non-ideal circuit elements are described in this section. For a more detailed account on
semiconductor device modeling, see Ref. 2.

NPN Bipolar Transistor

Figure 5-1 illustrates the equivalent circuit for the bipolar transistor.

164 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

Figure 5-1: A circuit for the bipolar transistor.

The following equations are used to compute the relations between currents and
voltages in the circuit.

THEORY FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 165

 R B R BM
v rb = ---- R BM -------------------------- i b
1
A f bq

v be
--------------
v bc
--------------
NF VT NR VT

= ----------------------------------------------- 1 + 1 + 4I S -------------------------- + --------------------------
1 e 1 e 1
f bq
v v I A I A
2 1 ----------- -----------
bc be KF KR
V AF V AR
v be v be
I S -------------
N V
-
--------------
N V
i be = A ------- e F T 1 + I SE e E T 1
B
F
v bc v bc
I S --------------
N V --------------
N V
i bc = A -------- e R T 1 + I SC e C T 1
B
R
v be v bc
I S -------------
N V
- --------------
N V
i ce = A ------- e F T + e C T
f
bq
k B T NOM
V T = ------------------------
q

There are also two capacitances that use the same formula as the junction capacitance
of the diode model. In the parameter names below, replace x with C for the
base-collector capacitance and E for the base-emitter capacitance.

v bx MJx
1 ---------
-
V Jx v bx F C V Jx
C jbx
= AC Jx
v bx v bx F C V Jx
1 F 1 M Jx 1 F 1 + M + M ---------
C C Jx Jx V -
Jx

The model parameters are listed in the table below.

TABLE 5-1: BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR MODEL PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

BF 100 Ideal forward current gain

BR 1 Ideal reverse current gain
2
CJC 0 F/m Base-collector zero-bias depletion capacitance
2
CJE 0 F/m Base-emitter zero-bias depletion capacitance
FC 0.5 Breakdown current
2
IKF Inf (A/m ) Corner for forward high-current roll-off
2
IKR Inf (A/m ) Corner for reverse high-current roll-off

166 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

TABLE 5-1: BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR MODEL PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

IS 1e-15 A/m2 Saturation current

ISC 0 A/m2 Base-collector leakage saturation current
ISE 0 A/m2 Base-emitter leakage saturation current
MJC 1/3 Base-collector grading coefficient
MJE 1/3 Base-emitter grading coefficient
NC 2 Base-collector ideality factor
NE 1.4 Base-emitter ideality factor
NF 1 Forward ideality factor
NR 1 Reverse ideality factor
RB 0 m2 Base resistance
RBM 0 m2 Minimum base resistance
RC 0 m2 Collector resistance
RE 0 m2 Emitter resistance
TNOM 298.15 K Device temperature
VAF Inf (V) Forward Early voltage
VAR Inf (V) Reverse Early voltage
VJC 0.71 V Base-collector built-in potential
VJE 0.71 V Base-emitter built-in potential

n-Channel MOS Transistor

Figure 5-2 illustrates an equivalent circuit for the MOS transistor.

THEORY FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 167

 Figure 5-2: A circuit for the MOS transistor.

The following equations are used to compute the relations between currents and
voltages in the circuit.

168 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

 K
W - ------P- 1 + v ds v ds 2v th v ds v ds v th
----
L 2

i ds = W KP 2
----- ------- 1 + v ds v th v ds v th
L 2
0 v ds v th 0

v th = v gs V TO + v bs
v bd
-----------
NV T
-

i bd = I S e 1

v bs
-----------
NV T
-

i bs = I S e 1

k B T NOM
V T = ------------------------
q

There are also several capacitances between the terminals

C gd = C gd0 W
C gs = C gs0 W

1 v
M J
bd
--------
-
PB v bx F C P B
C jbd = C BD
v bx v bx F C P B
1 F 1 M J 1 F 1 + M + M -------
-
C C J JP
B

The model parameters are as follows:

TABLE 5-2: MOS TRANSISTOR MODEL PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

CBD 0 F/m Bulk-drain zero-bias capacitance

CGDO 0 F/m Gate-drain overlap capacitance
CGSO 0 F/m Gate-source overlap capacitance
FC 0.5 Capacitance factor
IS 1e-13 A Bulk junction saturation current
2
KP 2e-5 A/V Transconductance parameter
L 50e-6 m Gate length
MJ 0.5 Bulk junction grading coefficient
N 1 Bulk junction ideality factor

THEORY FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 169

 TABLE 5-2: MOS TRANSISTOR MODEL PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

PB 0.75 V Bulk junction potential

RB 0 Bulk resistance
RD 0 Drain resistance
RDS Inf () Drain-source resistance
RG 0 Gate resistance
RS 0 Source resistance
TNOM 298.15 K Device temperature
VTO 0V Zero-bias threshold voltage
W 50e-6 m Gate width
(GAMMA) 0 V0.5 Bulk threshold parameter
(PHI) 0.5 V Surface potential
(LAMBDA) 0 1/V Channel-length modulation

Diode
Figure 5-3 illustrates equivalent circuit for the diode.

170 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

Figure 5-3: A circuit for the diode.

The following equations are used to compute the relations between currents and
voltages in the circuit.

THEORY FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 171

 i d = i dhl + i drec + i db + i c
vd
-----------
NV T
- 1
i dhl = IS e 1 ------------------------------------------------------
vd
I S -----------
NV T
-

1 + --------- e 1
I KF
vd
--------------
N V
i drec = I SR e R T 1

vd + BV
------------------
N BV V T
i db = I BV e

vd M
1 ------
- vd FC VJ
V J
C j = C J0
1 M vd
1 FC 1 F C 1 + M + M ------- v d F C V J
V J

k B T NOM
V T = ------------------------
q

where the following model parameters are required

TABLE 5-3: DIODE TRANSISTOR MODEL PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

BV Inf (V) Reverse breakdown voltage

CJ0 0F Zero-bias junction capacitance
FC 0.5 Forward-bias capacitance coefficient
IBV 1e-09 A Current at breakdown voltage
IKF Inf (A) Corner for high-current roll-off
IS 1e-13 A Saturation current
M 0.5 Grading coefficient
N 1 Ideality factor
NBV 1 Breakdown ideality factor
NR 2 Recombination ideality factor
RS 0 Series resistance
TNOM 298.15 K Device temperature
VJ 1.0 V Junction potential

172 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH

References for the Electrical Circuit Interface
1. http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/Classes/IcBook/SPICE/

2. P. Antognetti and G. Massobrio, Semiconductor Device Modeling with Spice, 2nd

ed., McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993.

THEORY FOR THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INTERFACE | 173

174 | CHAPTER 5: THE ACDC BRANCH
 6

The Electromagnetic Heating Branch

This chapter describes The Microwave Heating Interface, which is found under
the Heat Transfer>Electromagnetic Heating branch ( ) in the Model Wizard. This
interfaces combines the features of an Electromagnetic Waves interface from the RF
Module with those of the Heat Transfer interface.

175
 The Microwave Heating Interface
The Microwave Heating interface ( ), found under the Heat Transfer>Electromagnetic
Heating branch ( ) in the Model Wizard, combines the features of an Electromagnetic
Waves interface with those of the Heat Transfer interface. The predefined interaction
adds the electromagnetic losses from the electromagnetic waves as a heat source. This
interface is based on the assumption that the electromagnetic cycle time is short
compared to the thermal time scale (adiabatic assumption). It is associated with two
predefined study types:

Frequency-StationaryTime-harmonic electromagnetic waves and stationary heat

transfer
Frequency-TransientTime-harmonic electromagnetic waves and transient heat
transfer

When this interface is added, these default nodes are also added to the Model Builder
Microwave Heating Model, Electromagnetic Heat Source, Boundary Electromagnetic Heat
Source, Thermal Insulation, Perfect Electric Conductor, and Initial Values.

Right-click the Microwave Heating node to add other features that implement, for
example, boundary conditions and volume forces.

Except where noted in this section, the Microwave Heating interface

shares most of its settings windows with The Electromagnetic Waves,
Frequency Domain Interface (described in this guide), The Heat Transfer
Interface (described in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide), and
Note
theThe Joule Heating Interface (also described in the COMSOL
Multiphysics Users Guide).

Microwave Oven: Model Library path RF_Module/

RF_and_Microwave_Engineering/microwave_oven
Model

INTERFACE IDENTIFIER
The interface identifier is a text string that can be used to reference the respective
physics interface if appropriate. Such situations could occur when coupling this
interface to another physics interface, or when trying to identify and use variables

176 | CHAPTER 6: THE ELECTROMAGNETIC HEATING BRANCH

defined by this physics interface, which is used to reach the fields and variables in
expressions, for example. It can be changed to any unique string in the Identifier field.

The default identifier (for the first interface in the model) is mh.

DOMAIN SELECTION
The default setting is to include All domains in the model to define the dependent
variables and the equations. To choose specific domains, select Manual from the
Selection list.

PHYSICAL MODEL
Select the Out-of-plane heat transfer check box (2D models only) to include heat
transfer out of the plane.

If your license includes the Heat Transfer Module, you can select the Surface-to-surface
radiation check box to include surface-to-surface radiation as part of the heat transfer.
This adds a Radiation Settings section.See the Physical Model section in The Heat
Transfer Interface for details.

If your license includes the Heat Transfer Module, you can select the Radiation in
participating media check box to include radiation in participating media as part of the
heat transfer. This adds a Participating media Settings section.See the Physical Model
section in The Heat Transfer Interface for details.

If your license includes the Heat Transfer Module, you can select the Heat Transfer in
biological tissue check box to enable the Biological Tissue feature. See the Physical Model
section in The Bioheat Transfer Interface for details.

SETTINGS
Select whether to Solve for the Full field or the Scattered field.

If Scattered field is selected, enter expressions for the Background electric field Eb
(SI unit: V/m). The defaults are 0.

PO R T SWEEP SETTINGS
Enter a Reference impedance Zref (SI unit: ). The default is 50 .

Select the Activate port sweep check box to invoke a parametric sweep over the ports/
terminals in addition to the automatically generated frequency sweep. The generated
lumped parameters are in the form of an impedance or admittance matrix depending
on the port/terminal settings which consistently must be of either fixed voltage or
fixed current type.

THE MICROWAVE HEATING INTERFACE | 177

 Enter a Sweep parameter name. A specific name is assigned to the variable that controls
the port number solved for during the sweep.

The lumped parameters are subject to Touchstone file export. Enter or Browse for a file
name and path in the Touchstone file export field.

Select an Output formatMagnitude angle, Magnitude (dB) angle, or Real imaginary.

DEPENDENT VARIABLES
This interface defines these dependent variables (fields): the Temperature T, the Surface
radiosity J, and the Electric field E. The name can be changed but the names of fields
and dependent variables must be unique within a model.

ADVANCED SETTINGS
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Advanced Physics Options.
Normally these settings do not need to be changed.

Select an Equation formAutomatic, Frequency-transient, Frequency-stationary,

Boundary mode analysis, Frequency domain, Stationary, or Time dependent.

If Frequency domain is selected, also select a FrequencyFrom solver (the default) or

User defined. If User defined is selected, enter a value (SI unit: Hz).

For all options, select the Show all model inputs check box if required.

DISCRETIZATION
To display this section, click the Show button ( ) and select Discretization. Select
Quadratic, Linear, Cubic, or Quartic for the Temperature, Surface radiosity, and Electric
field. Specify the Value type when using splitting of complex variablesReal or Complex
(the default).

Show More Physics Options

Microwave Heating Model

See Also Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the Microwave
Heating Interface

178 | CHAPTER 6: THE ELECTROMAGNETIC HEATING BRANCH

Domain, Boundary, Edge, Point, and Pair Features for the
Microwave Heating Interface
Because The Microwave Heating Interface is a multiphysics interface, almost every
feature is shared with, and described for, other interfaces. Below are links to the
domain, boundary, edge, point, and pair features as indicated.

These are described in this section:

Microwave Heating Model

Electromagnetic Heat Source
Initial Values

These features (and subfeatures) are described for the Electromagnetic Waves, Frequency
Domain interface (listed in alphabetical order):

Divergence Constraint
Edge Current
Electric Field
Electric Point Dipole
Far-Field Domain
Impedance Boundary Condition
Line Current (Out-of-Plane) (2D axisymmetric models)
Lumped Port
Magnetic Current
Magnetic Field
Magnetic Point Dipole
Perfect Electric Conductor
Perfect Magnetic Conductor
Perfectly Matched Layers
Periodic Condition
Port
Scattering Boundary Condition
Surface Current
Transition Boundary Condition
Wave Equation, Electric

THE MICROWAVE HEATING INTERFACE | 179

 These features are described for the Heat Transfer and Joule Heating interfaces in the
COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide (listed in alphabetical order):

The links to features described the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide

do not work in the PDF, only from within the online help.
Important

To locate and search all the documentation, in COMSOL, select

Help>Documentation from the main menu and either enter a search term
Tip or look under a specific module in the documentation tree.

Boundary Electromagnetic Heat Source

Boundary Heat Source
Heat Flux
Heat Source
Heat Transfer in Fluids
Heat Transfer in Solids
Line Heat Source
Outflow
Point Heat Source
Surface-to-Ambient Radiation
Symmetry
Temperature
Thermal Insulation
Thin Thermally Resistive Layer and Pair Thin Thermally Resistive Layer

The Continuity pair condition is described in the COMSOL Multiphysics

Users Guide:

Continuity on Interior Boundaries

See Also
Identity and Contact Pairs
Specifying Boundary Conditions for Identity Pairs

180 | CHAPTER 6: THE ELECTROMAGNETIC HEATING BRANCH

Microwave Heating Model
The Microwave Heating Model feature has settings to define the displacement field,
magnetic field, conduction current, heat conduction, and thermodynamics.

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to apply the model. The default setting is
to include all domains in the model.

MODEL INPUTS
Use this section, for example, to define the temperature field to use for a
temperature-dependent material property. It is initially empty.

COORDINATE SYSTEM SELECTION

The Global coordinate system is selected by default. The Coordinate system list contains
any additional coordinate systems that the model includes.

DISPLACEMENT FIELD
Select a Displacement field modelRelative permittivity, Refractive index, Loss tangent,
or Dielectric loss. Select:

Relative permittivity to specify the relative permittivity or take it from the material.
Refractive index to specify the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index or take
them from the material. This assumes a relative permeability of unity and zero
conductivity.

Beware of the time-harmonic sign convention requiring a lossy material

having a negative imaginary part of the refractive index (see Introducing
Caution Losses in the Frequency Domain).

THE MICROWAVE HEATING INTERFACE | 181

 Loss tangent to specify a loss tangent for dielectric losses or take it from the material.
This assumes zero conductivity.
Dielectric loss to specify the real and imaginary parts of the relative permittivity or
take them from the material.

Beware of the time-harmonic sign convention requiring a lossy material

having a negative imaginary part of the relative permittivity (see
Caution Introducing Losses in the Frequency Domain).

MAGNETIC FIELD
Select the Constitutive relationRelative permeability or Magnetic losses.

For magnetic losses, beware of the time-harmonic sign convention

requiring a lossy material having a negative imaginary part of the relative
Caution permeability (see Introducing Losses in the Frequency Domain).

By default the Relative permeability r uses values From material. If User defined is
selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic based on the
characteristics of the magnetic field, and then enter values or expressions in the field
or matrix.
If Magnetic losses is selected, the default values for ' and '' are taken From material.
Select User defined to enter different values.

CONDUCTION CURRENT
By default, the Electrical conductivity (SI unit: S/m) uses values From material. If User
defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic based on the
characteristics of the current and enter values or expressions in the field or matrix.

If Linearized resistivity is selected, the default values for the Reference temperature Tref
(SI unit: K), Resistivity temperature coefficient (SI unit: 1/K), and Reference
resistivity 0 (SI unit: m) are taken From material. Select User defined to enter other
values or expressions for any of these variables.

HEAT CONDUCTION
The default Thermal conductivity k (SI unit: W/(mK)) uses values From material. If
User-defined is selected, choose Isotropic, Diagonal, Symmetric, or Anisotropic based on
the characteristics of the thermal conductivity and enter another value or expression.

182 | CHAPTER 6: THE ELECTROMAGNETIC HEATING BRANCH

THERMODYNAMICS
The default Heat capacity at constant pressure Cp (SI unit: J/(kgK)) and Density
(SI unit: kg/m3) use values From material. Select User-defined to enter other values or
expressions for one or both variables.

Electromagnetic Heat Source

The Electromagnetic Heat Source feature represents the electromagnetic losses, Qe
(SI unit: W/m3), as a heat source in the heat transfer part of the model. It is given by

Q e = Q rh + Q ml

where the resistive losses are

1 *
Q rh = --- Re J E
2

and the magnetic losses are

1 *
Q ml = --- Re iB H
2

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to apply the model. The default feature
settings cannot be edited and include all domains in the model.

Initial Values
The Initial Values feature adds initial values for the temperature, surface radiosity, and
electric field.

DOMAIN SELECTION
From the Selection list, choose the domains to apply the initial values. The default
setting is to include all domains in the model.

IN IT IA L VA LUES
Enter values or expressions for the Temperature T (SI unit: K), Surface radiosity J
(SI unit: W/m2) and Electric field E (SI unit: V/m). The default temperature is
293.15 K.

THE MICROWAVE HEATING INTERFACE | 183

184 | CHAPTER 6: THE ELECTROMAGNETIC HEATING BRANCH
 7

Glossary

This Glossary of Terms contains finite element modeling terms in an

electromagnetic waves context. For mathematical terms as well as geometry and
CAD terms specific to the COMSOL Multiphysics software and documentation,
please see the glossary in the COMSOL Multiphysics Users Guide. For references
to more information about a term, see the index.

185
 Glossary of Terms
absorbing boundary A boundary that lets an electromagnetic wave propagate through
the boundary without reflections.

anisotropy Variation of material properties with direction.

constitutive relation The relation between the D and E fields and between the B and
H fields. These relations depend on the material properties.

cutoff frequency The lowest frequency for which a given mode can propagate
through, for example, a waveguide or optical fiber.

edge element See vector element.

eigenmode A possible propagating mode of, for example, a waveguide or optical fiber.

electric dipole Two equal and opposite charges +q and q separated a short distance
d. The electric dipole moment is given by p = qd, where d is a vector going from q
to +q.

gauge transformation A variable transformation of the electric and magnetic potentials

that leaves Maxwells equations invariant.

magnetic dipole A small circular loop carrying a current. The magnetic dipole
moment is m = IAe, where I is the current carried by the loop, A its area, and e a unit
vector along the central axis of the loop.

Nedelecs edge element See vector element.

perfect electric conductor A material with high electrical conductivity, modeled as a

boundary where the electric field is zero.

perfect magnetic conductor A material with high permeability, modeled as a boundary

where the magnetic field is zero.

phasor A complex function of space representing a sinusoidally varying quantity.

186 | CHAPTER 7: GLOSSARY

quasi-static approximation The electromagnetic fields are assumed to vary slowly, so
that the retardation effects can be neglected. This approximation is valid when the
geometry under study is considerably smaller than the wavelength.

vector element A finite element often used for electromagnetic vector fields. The
tangential component of the vector field at the mesh edges is used as a degree of
freedom. Also called Nedelecs edge element or just edge element.

G L O S S A R Y O F TE R M S | 187
188 | CHAPTER 7: GLOSSARY
I n d e x
2D modeling techniques 27, 29 cementation exponent 96, 146
3D modeling techniques 29 circuit import, SPICE 162
3D models coaxial modes 103
importing GDS-II files 52 complex permittivity, electric losses and

A absorbing boundary (node) 128 138

AC/DC Module 11 complex propagation constant 148

advanced settings 17 complex relative permeability, magentic

anisotropic materials 72 losses and 139

antiperiodicity, periodic boundaries and consistent stabilization settings 18

32 constitutive relations, theory 6970

applying electromagnetic sources 30 constraint settings 18

Archies law (node) 96 continuity, periodic boundaries and 32

attenuation constant 148 coupling, to the electrical circuit inter-

axisymmetric models 28 face 65

axisymmetric waves theory 138, 141 current source (node) 155

current-controlled current source
B backward-propagating wave 148
(node) 157
bond wires 54, 56
current-controlled voltage source
boundary conditions
(node) 156
electromagnetic waves, frequency do-
cylindrical coordinates 28
main interface 88
cylindrical waves 109
electromagnetic waves, transient in-
terface 120 D Debye dispersion model 94

nonlinear eigenfrequency problems device models, electrical circuits 164

and 61 dielectric medium theory 74

perfect electric conductor 100 diode (node) 159

perfect magnetic conductor 102 diode transistor model 170

periodic 32 discretization settings 17

scattering and port 33 dispersive materials 72

theory 73 divergence constraint (node) 95

transmission line interface 127 documentation, finding 19

using efficiently 30 domain features

electromagnetic waves, frequency do-
C calculating
main interface 88
S-parameters 43
drill files 53
capacitor (node) 154
Drude-Lorentz dispersion model 93
Cartesian coordinates 27

INDEX| 189
 E E (PMC) symmetry 39 external U vs. I (node) 161
ECAD import 49 extruding layers 49
options 55
F far field variables 40
troubleshooting 58
far-field calculation (node) 99
edge current (node) 116
far-field calculations 39, 81
effective conductivity, porous media 142
far-field domain (node) 98
effective relative permeability 144
far-field variables 39
eigenfrequency analysis 14, 60
file formats
eigenfrequency calculations theory 142
GDS-II 51
eigenfrequency study, RF interfaces 135
NETEX-G 52
eigenmode analysis 14
file, Touchstone 88, 126
eigenvalue (node) 61
Floquet periodicity 32
electric field (node) 107
fluid saturation 96
electric losses theory 138
formation factor 146
electric point dipole (node) 116
forward-propagating wave 148
electrical circuit interface 152
free-space variables 91
theory 163
frequency domain equation, RF interfac-
electrical circuits
es 134
modeling techniques 64
electrical conductivity, porous media 145 G GDS-II file format 51

electrical size, modeling 11 geometry, simplifying 27

electromagnetic energy theory 71 geometry, working with 18

electromagnetic heat source (node) 183 Gerber layer files 53

electromagnetic quantities 83 ground node (node) 153

electromagnetic sources, applying 30 H H (PEC) symmetry 39

electromagnetic waves, frequency do- hide button 17
main interface 86 high frequency modeling 11
theory 134 hybrid-mode waves
electromagnetic waves, transient inter- in-plane 137, 140141
face 118 perpendicular 136
theory 134
I impedance boundary condition (node)
emailing COMSOL 20
110
equation view 17
importing
error message, electrical circuit interface
ECAD files 49
65
GDS-II files 51
expanding sections 17
NETEX-G files 52
external I vs. U (node) 160
OBD++(X) files 50
external I-terminal (node) 161
SPICE netlists 162

190 | I N D E X
 wirebonds 54 microwave heating model (node) 181
incoming wave (node) 129 mode analysis 62, 135
inconsistent stabilization settings 18 Model Builder settings 17
inductor (node) 154 Model Library 19
inhomogeneous materials 72 Model Library examples
initial values (node) axial symmetry 28
electromagnetic waves, frequency do- cartesian coordinates 28
main interface 100 Drude-Lorentz dispersion model 94
electromagnetic waves, transient in- electrical circuits 64
terface 124 electromagnetic waves, frequency do-
microwave heating interface 183 main interface 86
transmission line interface 128 far field plots 41
in-plane TE waves theory 137, 140141 far-field calculations 39
in-plane TM waves 137 far-field domain and far-field calcula-
inports 104 tion 98
Internet resources 18 impedance boundary condition 111
lossy eigenvalue calculations 60
K Kirchhoffs circuit laws 164
lumped port 105
knowledge base, COMSOL 20
microwave heating interface 176
L layers, extruding 49
perfect electric conductor 101
line current (out-of-plane) (node) 117
perfect magnetic conductor 102
linearization point 62
perfectly matched layers 33
listener ports 104
periodic boundary condition 114
losses, electric 138
periodic boundary conditions 32
losses, magnetic 139
port 103
lossy eigenvalue calculations 59
port sweeps 44
lumped port (node) 105, 132
scattered fields 38
lumped ports 4546, 79
scattering boundary condition 110
M magnetic current (node) 115 S-parameter calculations 43
magnetic field (node) 108 transmission line interface 125
magnetic losses theory 139 wave equation, electric 91
magnetic point dipole (node) 117 modeling tips 26
material properties 15, 72 MPH-files 19
Maxwells equations 68
N n-Channel MOS transistor 158, 167
Maxwells equations, electrical circuits
n-Channel MOSFET (node) 158
and 164
NETEX-G file format 52
mesh resolution 31
netlists, SPICE 162, 164
microwave heating interface 176
nonlinear materials 72

INDEX| 191
 NPN bipolar junction transistor 158, 164 R reciprocal permeability, volume average
NPN BJT (node) 158 144
numeric modes 104 refractive index 91
refractive index theory 139
O ODB++(X) files 50
relative electric field 38
open circuit (node) 130
relative repair tolerance 58
override and contribution settings 17
resistor (node) 154
P pair selection 18 RF Module 10
PEC. see perfect electric conductor Right-click the Wave Equation, Electric
perfect conductors theory 74 node to add a Divergence Con-
perfect electric conductor (node) straint subnode. It is used for nu-
boundaries 100 merical stabilization when the
perfect magnetic conductor (node) 101 frequency is low enough for the to-
perfectly matched layers 33 tal electric current density related
periodic boundary conditions 32 term in the wave equation to be-
periodic condition (node) 114 come numerically insignificant. 95
permeability
S saturation coefficient 146
anisotropic 136
saturation exponent 96
permeability, volume average 144
scattered fields, definition 38
permittivity
scattering boundary condition (node)
anisotropic 136
109
phasors theory 74
scattering boundary condition, modeling
physics settings windows 17
and 33
PMC. see perfect magnetic conductor
scattering parameters. see S-parameters
PML. see perfectly matched layers
selecting
polarization 29
mesh resolution 31
porous media (node) 97
solver sequences 31
port (node) 102
study types 11, 13
port boundary conditions 33, 43
Sellmeier dispersion model 94
ports, lumped 4546, 79
semiconductor device models 164
potentials theory 70
short circuit (node) 132
power law, porous media 143, 145
show button 17
predefined couplings, electrical circuits
SI units 83
65
simplifying geometries 27
propagating waves 148
skin effect, meshes and 31
propagation constant 148
solver sequences, selecting 31
Q quality factor (Q-factor) 60 space dimensions 12, 27
quasi-static modeling 11 S-parameter calculations

192 | I N D E X
 electric field and 42 TM waves
port node and 103 axisymmetric 134
theory 76 TM waves theory 78
spherical waves 109 tolerance, relative repair 58
SPICE netlists 162, 164 Touchstone file 88, 126
stabilization settings 18 transition boundary condition (node)
study types 11 113
boundary mode analysis 104 transmission line equation (node) 127
eigenfrequency 60, 135 transmission line interface 125
frequency domain 134 transmission line, example 147
mode analysis 62, 135 TW axisymmetric waves theory 138, 141
subcircuit definition (node) 157 typographical conventions 20
subcircuit instance (node) 158
U units, SI 83
surface current (node) 112
user community, COMSOL 20
symbols for electromagnetic quantities
V variables
83
eigenfrequency analysis and 61
symmetry in E (PMC) or H (PEC) 39
far-field 39
symmetry planes, far-field calculations 39
for far fields 40
symmetry, axial 28
lumped ports 48
T TE axisymmetric waves theory 138, 141
mode analysis 63, 136
TE waves theory 78
S-parameters 43
technical support, COMSOL 20
vector elements theory 142
TEM waves theory 79
voltage input, ports 45
terminating impedance (node) 130
voltage source (node) 154
theory
voltage-controlled current source
constitutive relations 6970
(node) 156
dielectrics and perfect conductors 74
voltage-controlled voltage source (node)
electric and magnetic potentials 70
156
electrical circuit 163
volume averages, porous media 143
electromagnetic energy 71
W wave equation, electric (node) 90, 121
electromagnetic waves, interfaces 134
wave excitation 104
far-field calculations 81
wave impedance theory 78
lumped ports 46, 79
wave number, free-space 91
Maxwell equations 68
wavelength, meshes and 31
phasors 74
weak constraint settings 18
S-parameters 76
web sites, COMSOL 20
surface charges 73
wirebonds, importing 54, 56
time domain equation, theory 140

INDEX| 193
194 | I N D E X