HFSS - Antennas, Arrays and FSS's

David PerryApplications Engineer

Ansoft Corporation

Synopsis

w Some Excerpts from “What’s New”w Enhancements to HFSS

w Wave Guide Simulator (WGS)w What is it?w Why you would use it?

w Analytical Simulator (AS)w Good compliment to WGS

w Perfect Matched Layer (PML)

What’s New in Recent Versions of HFSS

HFSS Graphics: Animation Exports

w Animated Magnitude or Vector Plots can be exported as animated *.gif files

w Macro wizard interfaces walks user through animation settings

w Animations are cross-platform and can be used in presentations

HFSS Graphics: Post-Processor Improvements

w Lighting Control Option prevents 3D object lighting or shadows from washing out magnitude field plots

w 3D Polar Antenna Patterns scale shape as well as color to plot min/max settings

Macro Language Enhancementsw User-customizable menu

structure via macro commands

w Bitmaps in Wizard graphical windows

w “Splash” screensw Graphical diagrams to aid

macro data entry

w Local or private scoped variables

w Macro debugger executablew …and MORE! Please refer

to separate Macro presentation for additional details.

L R

C

Lumped RLC Circuit Elements

w Additional boundary condition permits inclusion of lumped circuit elements in HFSS

w Model assumes parallel RLC circuit

w Build several in a row for serial circuit topography

Z(f) R L C

w Direct computation of “Total” field, rather than computation of “Scattered” field only

w Higher Accuracy, Fewer Unknowns per excitation

RCS/Scattering Solution Improvements

HFSS 8 Interpolative Sweep

w Falls between ‘fast’ and ‘discrete’ in capabilities

w Multi-decade bandwidthw Faster than Discretew No modal cutoff issuesw Fields only at mesh

frequency

w Provides wide-band sweep resultsw Calculator tool aids sweep setup if using FWS

Wide-band behavior including several sharp resonances was properly identified using very few frequency points (approximately 20).

HFSS 8 Interpolative Sweep Example

Lumped Port

Wave Port

Internal Portsw Internal ports defined with a single sheet object

at the end of the trace - no cap required.

w 2 options on how to define these ports:

w Traditional-style ports assume a perfect-H boundary on all edges that do not contact metal (wave ports)

w Gap source style (lumped ports).

Gap Source - Dipole

w Utilizing a Gap Source at feed point can improve accuracy

Meshing Improvements

Initial Lambda-Refined Mesh on a block of Vacuum and a block of

Alumina, displaying material-sensitive refinement.

w Lambda Refinement now recognizes object material assignments

w Less need to seed simply due to material conditions

w Improved convergence

w Improved mesh generation for high aspect ratios and true curved surfaces

Post3 - Moving the originw The origin can be moved

and far/near field results computed without resolving

Enough Of What’s New - So How Do I Use This Stuff?

Large Arrays Modeled as Infinite

NOT!

Probably Still Not

w So what is “large” anyway?w How many adjacent

elements cause most of the coupling?

w How much of the array sees edge affects?

w 1948 Wheeler published “The radiation resistance of an antenna in an infinite array orwaveguide”… A waveguide simulator

w 1960’s others followed

Waveguide Simulators

w Approximation of large array with an infinite array

w No edge affectsw Pairs of Perfect E’s or

Perfect E’s and Perfect H’s

Modes in a Waveguide Simulator

w Waveguide modes correspond to plane waves at angles

w Various sizes of cross sections result in different scan angles

Waveguide & Analytical Simulatorw Waveguide simulators (WGS) solve for multiple

scan anglesw Analytical simulator (AS) solves for one scan

angle. User SELECTS this angle!

* Spreadsheet is available!

Unit Cell Model of End-Fire Waveguide Array

WG Port(bottom) Ground Plane

Perfectly Matched Layer(top)

Slave BoundaryMaster Boundary

Origin

V-axis

U-axis

HFSS Boundary Descriptions: Master/Slave Boundaries

w Parameters: Coordinate system, master/slave pairing and phasing

w Master and slave boundaries used to model a unit cell of a repeating structure

w Master and slave boundaries always paired: one master to one slave

w The fields on the slave surface are constrained to be identical to those on the master surface, with phase shift

w Constraints:w The master and slave surfaces must be of

identical shapes and sizesw A coordinate system must be identified on

the master and slave boundary to identify point-to-point correspondence

Periodic Boundaries in Ansoft HFSS

w Periodic BC, Linked BC, Master/Slave Pairsw Yeah they are all the same thing!

w Adds to ability to model phased array antennasw Useful for any large uniform or periodic structurew Use to impose phase shift between two boundaries

w Multiple pairs (two or more) of matching boundariesw Can solve “staggered” antenna arrays

w Arbitrary orientation of matching boundaries in model coordinate system

How Does a LBC Operate?w The LBC enforces a phase difference Φ between

the two linked boundaries.

w Eslave = eiΦ Emasterw where Φ = d/λ sin θ cos(φ)w here Φ depends on scan angles, θ and φ

θ

x

z

d/λ

Φw φ angle measured

from X axisw θ angle measured

from Z axis

Periodic Boundaries in Ansoft HFSS (cont)

w Boundary manager screen allows easy set-up of master and slave boundaries

w Checks that u-v coordinate choices for master and slave planes are consistent

w User provides scan angles θ and ϕ in model coordinate system

w Automatic calculation of array parameters based on model geometry

w Only model coordinate system

w Works with ABC, PML and impedance boundaries on “space port”

Space Port

Port Boundary (should NOT touch periodic boundary in HFSS)

Matching Boundary(slave)

Matching Boundary(master)

Unit Cell Boundary Conditions

MASTER 1

SLAVE 1

MA

STE

R 2

SLA

VE

2

MASTER 3 SLAVE 3

MASTER 4 SLAVE 4

Example of Skewed Array, Top View

Wondering how to create this unit cell?A macro exists to help with this!

Skewed Array (2)

w The triangular spaced array -other methods

App Note is Available

Applications of Simulatorsw Arrays of driven elements

w Excitationw Traditional portw Gap Source port

w Space portsw WGS can use ports or PML’sw AS must use appropriate termination

w Frequency Selective Surface (FSS)w Excitation

w Traditional port or incident wave for WGSw Incident wave for AS

w Transmission/Reflection characteristics computed using the POST 3 calculator

w Macro exists to aid in this effort (fsswiz4.mac)

w Space portsw Same as above

PML and How to Approach the Setup

w Perfect Matched Layer (PML) w fictitious material that fully absorbs the

electromagnetic field impinging upon it w independent of incident angle

w PML requirement:w both the permeability and the permittivity be

complex anisotropic

Use “pmlcoversetup” or “dpPML” macros

Solution Space Terminationsw Absorbing Boundary Condition (ABC)

w Most effective when incident waves normal to the absorbing surface

w ABC surface should be placed approx λ/4 away from radiating surface z

-100

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

Ref

lect

ion C

oef

fici

ent

(dB

)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

theta (deg)

Reflection Coefficient (dB)

70 80 90

ABC

r E TM

θ

Solution Space Terminationsw PML

w Works well for steep angles of incidence (often occurs with wave guide simulators)

w PML does not suffer from λ/4 separation requirement (main concern is meshing)

Integration Surface for Far-Field Computation

w Default: far-fields computed through an integration over the radiation boundary or inside of PML surface

w User defined interior surface:alternate integration surface can be chosen

w “Custom Surface” must enclose all radiating surfaces

w Advantages: potential for better accuracy

w Useful for mesh manipulationw Due to material discontinuity and meshing,

integration on inside of PML surface is not typically the best choice

Alternate Interior Surface (AIS)

w AIS Defined in Post-Processing

w Far-Field computation only allowed by Post 3 if:

w Radiation boundary existsor

w PML with objects names beginning with “PML…”

w Suggestion - Define face list (customer surface) first

Method:1) In the Post Processor, select radiation > compute > far field/near field2) In the “Compute Far Field” menu, check box next to “Customer Surface” then click “Set”3) This will direct you to define a set of faces from which the far fields will be calculated

Farfield Plots of FINITE arraysw Array calculations use unit cell farfield as element

pattern

So What about FSS’s?

w Use unit cell approximationw Can use either WGS or ASw Space port at both top and

bottomw Transmission/Reflection

Characteristicsw Ports + WGS - S-parametersw Incident Wave + AS -

integrate poynting vector (*fsswiz.mac and app note available)

Further Material Availablew Docs

w AppNotePhasedArrays2.doc App Note on infinite triangular arrayw MicroJournPML.doc Discussion of LBC's and PML'sw PeriodicBCsGuide8/28/00.doc Discussion of infinite arrays in HFSSw UnitCellWriteup2.doc Discusses unit cell shapesw PML-LBC pres.pdf Further info on LBC's and PML'sw CalcCookBook.doc Great writeup on Post3 Calculator WITH

EXAMPLES!!w FSSTesting3.Doc How to for FSS’s in HFSS (draft form)

w References (Essential to understanding WGS/AS)w Hansen, Microwave Scanning Antennas Vol 2 if they are separatew IEEE AP 13 1965 page 342 Hannan Simulation of Phased Array Antenna in

Waveguidew Proc IRE Vol 36 1948 Wheeler The Radiation Resistance of an Antenna in

anInfinite Array or Waveguidew IEEE AP 13 1965 page 475 Phased Array Simulators in WG for Triangular

arranged elementsw IEEE AP 11 1963 page 377 A Technique to Simulate the Self and Mutual

Impeadances of an Array

Further Material Available Cont.w Macros (Only a partial list … Ask your favorite AE for further details)

w ArrayCalcWiz4.mac Macro to calc array pattern based on Unit Cell solutionw UnitCellWiz2.mac Macro to assist setting up unit cell for triangular arrayw FSPatGen.mac Generates many plots from a fast swept projectw Pmlcoverstepup Built in macro in Draw that creates PML Objectsw Pmlmatsetup Built in macro in Material Manager to set materialsw dpPMLWiz5.mac Will create Rectangular as well as quasi Cylindrical or

Sphereical PML’sw Should be more accurate than pmlcoversetup

w dpPMLMat2.mac Works with PMLGeom4.mac to set material parametersw FarFieldFix.mac Post3 will not allow computation of farfield without PML

or radiation BCw FSSWiz.mac Calculates transmitted and reflected power from incident

wave

w Spreadsheetsw PMLWorksheet.xls Aid to calc PML parameters for non rect

w Also available in formats for MapleV, Mathcad, EqnEval

w WvGdSim.xls Aid to calc wg mode - scan angle

Closingw HFSS V8 provides both evolutionary and

revolutionary improvements to an already-powerful tool in the antenna engineer’s arsenal

w Usability Enhancements improve day to day interaction with the software

w Improvements to Existing Features speed solution times, improve accuracy, and expand the usage possibilities

w New Features permit analysis applications previously unavailable to antenna designers

w Please continue to request enhancements and added capabilities. Ansoft realizes this software is for YOUR use!