The generation of a mesh for resistance calculation in integrated circuits

A method of generating a two-dimensional irregular mesh on a resistive shape is presented. Heuristics are used to identify critical areas where small mesh elements are required. Mesh refinement is applied in these areas until elements are smaller than a specified size. In noncritical areas, elements have a natural tendency to increase in size at a restricted rate. Rapid generation of the mesh is accomplished by using a treelike approach to data processing and by using a restricted set of element types. Although the mesh can be applied to any problem that requires the solution of Laplace´s equation with boundary conditions, resistive shapes in integrated circuits are the authors´ prime focus. The node elimination technique for resistance calculation is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the mesh for this purpose