Hybrid FDTD-MPIE method for the simulation of locally inhomogeneous multilayer LTCC structure

A new hybrid finite-difference time-domain-mixed potential integral equation method (FDTD-MPIE) is proposed for modeling and simulating multilayer planar problems with possible locally inhomogeneous geometries. By using equivalent principle, the original problem can be divided into different regions. The fields in the inhomogeneous regions are modeled by using FDTD method, which is a time domain method providing broad band fields information. The resultant interaction matrix from FDTD can be used as a look-up table for subsequent model coupling procedure. The fields in the layered structure with possible perfect electric conductors are described in terms of the equivalent electric and magnetic surface current densities by a mixed potential electric-field integral representation with less singular kernals. The interactions between the FDTD model and MPIE model are coupled together by enforcing the continuity of the tangential electric and magnetic fields at the equivalent surface using a Galerkin testing procedure. Numerical results of a canonical test problem are presented to validate the hybrid FDTD-MPIE method.