Comparison of EM simulation software
The following table list notable software packages that are nominal EM (electromagnetic) simulators; Note that this list only includes packages that have their own wikipedia article.
| Name | License | Windows | Linux | 3D | GUI | Convergence detector | Mesher | Algorithm | Area of application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEC | open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | manual | MoM | Widely used as the basis for many GUI-based programs on many platforms. Version 4 is commercially licensed. |
| Momentum | commercial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | equidistant | MoM | For passive planar elements development, integrated into Agilent EEsof Advanced Design System. |
| HFSS | commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Automatic adaptive | FEM FDTD PO Hybrid FEBI MoM Eigen Mode | For antenna/filter/IC packages, Radome,RFIC,LTCC,MMIC,Antenna Placement,Wave guides, EMI,FSS,Metamaterial,Composite Material, RCS-Mono and Bi development. |
| XFdtd | commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Automatic Project Optimized | FDTD | RF and microwave antennas, components, and systems, including mobile devices. MRI coils, radar, waveguides, SAR validation. |
| JCMsuite | commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Automatic, error-controlled | FEM | Nano- and micro-photonic applications (light scattering,[1] waveguide modes,[2] optical resonances[3]). |
| COMSOL Multiphysics | commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Automatic | FEM, Boundary element method, Ray Tracing | General Purpose |
| FEKO | commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Automatic or manual; adaptive | MoM FEM FDTD MLFMM PO RL-GO UTD | For antenna analysis, antenna placement, windscreen antennas, microstrip circuits, waveguide structures, radomes, EMI, cable coupling, FSS, metamaterials, periodic structures, RFID |
| Elmer FEM | open source (GPL) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | manual, or can import other mesh formats | FEM | General Purpose, includes 2D and 3D magnetics solvers, both static and harmonic. 3D solver is based on the Whitney AV formulation of Maxwell's equations. |
References
- ^ Hoffmann, J.; et al. (2009). "Comparison of electromagnetic field solvers for the 3D analysis of plasmonic nano antennas". Proc. SPIE. Modeling Aspects in Optical Metrology II. 7390: 73900J. arXiv:0907.3570. doi:10.1117/12.828036.
- ^ Wong, G. K. L.; et al. (2012). "Excitation of Orbital Angular Momentum Resonances in Helically Twisted Photonic Crystal Fiber". Science. 337 (6093): 446–449. Bibcode:2012Sci...337..446W. doi:10.1126/science.1223824. PMID 22837523.
- ^ Maes, B.; et al. (2013). "Simulations of high-Q optical nanocavities with a gradual 1D bandgap". Opt. Express. 21 (6): 6794–806. Bibcode:2013OExpr..21.6794M. doi:10.1364/OE.21.006794. hdl:1854/LU-4243856. PMID 23546062.