Advances in finite element methods for microwave engineering

This paper reviews the recent advancements in finite element methods, particularly the H(curl) conforming vector finite element methods (FEMs), for solving three-dimensional time-harmonic Maxwell equations. Advances in six major technical areas have made commercial field simulation softwares, based upon the use of vector FEMs, widely accepted in microwave engineering community for analysing and designing RF/microwave devices. They are: automatic mesh generation, H(curl) conforming vector finite elements, fast and efficient matrix solution techniques, accurate mesh truncation methods, a-posteriori error estimate and adaptive mesh refinement, and fast frequency sweep algorithms. A brief account of the R&D activities in these areas is given.