Fast multipole and multifunction PEEC methods

A key use of the partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) method is the solution of combined electromagnetic and circuit problems as they occur in many situations such as today´s integrated circuit (VLSI) systems and as components in mobile devices. The method, which has been applied to a multitude of electrical interconnect and package problems, is very flexible since it is easy to add new features to the approach. However, faster solutions are of interest since the problems to be solved are continuously increasing size. A class of fast methods is evolving based on the faster evaluation of the matrix elements and the use of iterative or other matrix solvers of the resultant system for the frequency domain. Fast circuit matrix solvers are easier to obtain in the time domain than the frequency domain since the delay or retardation can be utilized to sparsify the circuit matrix. In this paper, we concentrate on techniques for the fast evaluation of the PEEC circuit element for both the frequency and time domain where possible since both are important for the solution of specific problems.