Toward optimal error distributions in adaptive finite-element electromagnetic analysis for microelectronic interconnection structures

The effectiveness of finite-element refinement criteria for achieving optimal meshes based on error equidistribution principles are investigated with benchmark systems for the electromagnetic simulation of microelectronic system interconnection (MSI) features. The usefulness of the criteria are evaluated for adaptive finite-element electromagnetic analysis of principal device characteristics present in practical MSI structures, which are known to pose challenging problems in numerical modeling. The criteria with, potentially, the most significant implications for MSI electromagnetic simulation, are examined with finite-element solutions for the fundamental benchmark systems computed from both optimal and adaptively refined discretizations.