Electromagnetic simulation methods for MMIC design

Summary form only given. The authors discussed integral equation-based and differential equation-based electromagnetic simulation methods used for MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) modeling and design. Integral equation-based methods solve for electric current distributions on the conductors located on the top surface of a microstrip circuit and/or for equivalent magnetic current distributions on the slots in coplanar line circuits. Differential equation-based techniques include finite element, finite difference, edge elements, and TLM (transmission line matrix) approaches implemented either in the frequency or in the time domain. In addition to the analysis algorithms used, the usefulness of EM simulators depends on the ease of input procedure for geometrical layout and techniques used for extraction of useful circuit parameters (e.g., S-matrix characterization).<>