Efficient EM CAD and optimization by advanced hybrid methods: Science and product

WASP-NET's hybrid CAD approach - based on about thirty years of fundamental research in computational electromagnetics (EM) - comprises mode-matching (MM) / finite-element (FE) / method-of-moment (MoM) / finite-difference (FD) techniques, and, hence, fully exploits the specific efficiency and accuracy advantages of all involved basic EM methods. Recent advances include a fast hybrid finite-element / boundary-integral (FE-BI) solver for general 3D structures, which provides full 3D flexibility for involving user-defined and imported 3D structures, and a MoM / physical theory of diffraction (PTD) solver for calculating large antennas. The high importance of fundamental, broad-band research in computational electromagnetics for the development of an efficient, accurate and flexible software “product” is illustrated by a short review of some of the corresponding development steps. A few typical application examples demonstrate the efficiency advantages of this hybrid 3D EM CAD approach, where “hybrid” can be interpreted in the double-sense: Incorporating all fundamental EM methods as well as successfully merging (fundamental) science and (CAD) product.