CST E-News April 2009

Welcome to the April edition of CST’s E-News, our series of regular news and feature updates. We hope that you find the contents relevant, interesting and informative. Should you receive this email more than once, please accept our apologies. Any feedback and suggestions for future editions is welcome.

CST Simulation Acceleration

If you have been following our recent newsletters or announcements, you will probably have noticed articles dealing with the acceleration of the actual simulation process. As a user of our software, various options are at your disposal. You can choose to accelerate your simulation by using multiple CPUs with multiple cores inside one computer, or even hardware acceleration cards based on graphical processing units. Another method is to employ several computers in network.

There are also several ways to parallelize your simulation efforts. Multiport devices in time domain simulation can be distributed conveniently to different PCs. In order to achieve broadband results from frequency domain simulation, single frequency points can be calculated on separate machines. A more advanced approach distributes the simulation of parameterized models over the network in order to speed up parameter studies and optimizations. In these approaches every computer has to solve one complete instance of the model. CST STUDIO SUITE 2009 also features an MPI based parallelization. Here the model is decomposed into several parts, which are then distributed over the network, for example in a computer cluster. All these methods can be combined with each other.

If you look back over this article, you may find the variety of methods rather confusing and nearly impossible to pick the most appropriate acceleration option for your specific application. In addition, the optimum solution might prove to be different for your next project.

At CST we have developed an ideal scheme to handle simulation acceleration which ensures the value of your investment is maintained under changing constraints. Ask you sales representative for more information!

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European UGM – Presentations Online

CST's fourth European UGM was recently held in Darmstadt, Germany. Despite tough economic conditions, 119 customers gathered to share experiences and learn about the latest developments and future trends in EM simulation. The two day meeting benefited from 3 parallel sessions and included user and corporate presentations which covered key focal points like RFID systems and signal integrity, as well as topics such as optimization.

There were plenty of opportunities to discuss CST STUDIO SUITE™ in detail with CST development and application engineers, and the on-site support centre proved very popular. The roadmap presentation by CST's managing director R&D, Dr. Peter Thoma, was followed by a discussion on future requirements in EM simulation.

We are pleased to announce that all non-confidential talks will be made available through our website.

We hope that you will find this collection inspiring and helpful and to see you at our next user group meeting.

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CST MICROSTRIPES Update Now Available

We are pleased to announce the release of CST MICROSTRIPES™ 2009.1 (CST MS). CST MS 2009.1 brings new functionality including parallelized near to far-field transformation on multi-processor and multi-core computers to speed up antenna pattern calculation, accelerated solver initialization resulting in major speed-ups for complex models, and new options for near-field cylinder scans enabling higher frequency resolution.

CST MS 2009.1 also makes a further step towards integration with CST MWS, by introducing a high degree of interoperability. CST MWS (.cst) models can now be opened in CST MS and vice-versa. Geometrical entities (curves, wires, surfaces, bodies) along with their names, colors and groupings/components are preserved along with material properties mapping and electromagnetic settings such as frequency range, boundary conditions and mesh extents. CST MS 2009.1 is now available for download from the support area of the CST website.

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Integral Equation Solver

The release of CST MICROWAVE STUDIO® (CST MWS) version 2009 has equipped the Integral Equation solver with numerous powerful features which make the simulation of electrically large applications even easier than before.

Major highlights of the 2009 version include: multi-CPU parallelization of the Multi-Level Fast Multi-pole Method (MLFMM), infinite ground plane, current source and the new iterative Method-of-Moment Solver (MoM).

Using this new MoM solver, computational complexity can be reduced to the same order as the MLFMM solver. In addition, due to the parallel implementation of this solver, you can easily speed-up your simulations using the most up-to-date multi-core hardware available on the market. With the latest CST MWS service pack, the Integral-Equation solver’s "fast RCS sweep" has become faster thanks to improved algorithms, and more versatile, enabling the simulation of arbitrary linear polarization.

Try the Integral-Equation solver today and find out for yourself how easy to use and efficient it is.

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System Simulation with CST STUDIO SUITE

With the release of version 2009, CST STUDIO SUITE™ now offers even more tools to tackle specific problems. Among them, CST PCB STUDIO™ (CST PCBS) and CST CABLE STUDIO™ (CST CS) are the products of choice for the quick and accurate simulation of PCBs and cable harnesses. All tools enjoy the same look and feel and reside all in the same environment. In terms of signals, all modules are highly integrated and the manual transfer or converting of data is unnecessary.

The full system (illustrated) includes two PCBs and a complex connector placed in a metallic enclosure, as well as an external connector and cabling; this can be simulated most efficiently by choosing the appropriate solver for each part.

Thus, the 3D parts such as the connectors are simulated in CST MICROWAVE STUDIO® (CST MWS). The 2D geometry and the layer stackups of the two PCBs, a PCB backplane and a PCB plug-in are imported into CST PCBS where a PEEC technique is used to characterize the PCBs. The attached cables are also imported automatically, this time into CST CS, where a transmission line method is used to characterize the cables.

All individually simulated parts can now be connected in CST DESIGN STUDIO™ for a simulation of the entire system. Further modifications can still be made even in the schematic window, as edit functionality (which opens the respective tool in a new window within the environment) is available.

The surface currents on the PCBs and cables can be imported into the full wave 3D simulator (CST MWS) to determine the EMC properties of the PCBs in the enclosure or to calculate the radiation from the cables.

Due to the strong integration of the various tools, the exchange of data to enable a wide range of simulations is simple and no data conversion is necessary.

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Bio-Thermal Simulation

CST MICROWAVE STUDIO® has conventionally been associated with simulations involving the interaction of Radio Frequency (RF) sources and the human body. These sources could be mobile phones or from specialized medical equipment designed to irradiate specific tissue. The international standards, which guide the maximum amount of power allowed to enter the body, aim to limit the amount of heating in human tissue.

It is therefore of interest to designers and operators of such equipment to have a complete understanding of the medical benefits and also the dangers associated with heating in the human body. The human body is a complex chemical environment in which heating is generated by metabolic processes and cooling effects are caused by blood flow. These effects are described by the so-called Bioheat equation.

In CST STUDIO SUITE™, a thermal co-simulation, which now includes the Bioheat formulation, can be performed. CST MICROWAVE STUDIO® is used to calculate electrical losses due to an RF source, and the thermal solvers from CST EM STUDIO are employed to obtain either the steady state or the transient temperature distribution inside the human body.

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New Training Sessions Announced

As you may be aware, we offer a number of excellent value training sessions in the CST offices around Europe and North America. We have recently added some new sessions including 2 x two day courses dedicated to Microwave and Antenna applications, and Signal Integrity and EMC applications. A one day training session on Performance is also being held for the first time this May in Darmstadt, Germany.

The Microwave and Antenna training offers an introduction into the use of CST MWS for antenna design including broadband analysis and farfield post-processing.

The newly introduced EMC/Signal Integrity training concentrates on different applications such as EDA import and workflow, board-level EMC simulation, Eye diagram, and CST DESIGN STUDIO co-simulation.

For both training sessions, the first day covers basic modeling, meshing, port definitions, simulation workflows and overviews etc., and the second day is devoted to the specialist applications of the chosen course.

The CST Performance training is packed full of the latest information on how to speed up your simulations using CST MICROWAVE STUDIO®. This 1-day course covers a broad range of possible speed-up scenarios from choosing the most appropriate solver, to critical performance settings, Multi-CPU parallelization and distributed computing, and ends with a look at high-end technology such as GPU hardware acceleration and MPI cluster computing.

For more information on these sessions, please check the CST website.

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Publications

Have you read our latest articles? We’ve recently been published in IEEE Microwave Magazine, Printed Circuit Design, Microwave Product Digest, MWJ etc. Take a look at the articles on the publications section of our website.

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www.cst.com - Application Notes

The range of customer examples illustrated in the applications section of the CST website is being extended continuously. You can read about the “3D EM Simulation of a Resistance Spot Welding Gun” on the CST website.

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Calendar of Events

Check our calendar of events for the next CST event in your area.

Conferences and exhibitions

CST workshops

CST training sessions

With kind regards,
Your CST Team

CST - Changing the Standards
Computer Simulation Technology
info@cst.com, www.cst.com

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