FDTD Solutions

Workflow and GUI

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FDTD Solutions features

Main window
Working with simulation objects
Object library
Monitor types
Running a simulation
Optimization and parameter sweeps
Analysis

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Main window
The graphical CAD
environment is required
to setup and analyze all
simulations. It is also
required to run all
scripts.

Online Help Layout editor

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Showing, hiding, moving windows

Right click on menu bar (or use View menu)
Close to hide
Drag and reposition
windows

Double click on title bar to

undock/redock windows

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Simulation objects

Object types:
Structures
Simulation
Sources
Monitors
Online Help Simulation resources
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Structures and structure groups

Advanced objects can be
obtained via the Object
library
Structure groups

Online Help Object library

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Structures import options

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Structures - grid attributes

Permittivity rotation

rotate the permittivity tensor

LC orientation

specify arbitrary orientations for the liquid crystal

director

Matrix transform

add an arbitrary unitary matrix to the dielectric tensor

Faraday Effect

Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect

LCD

Online Help Object library

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Simulation

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Sources

Online Help Sources

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Basic Sources

Dipole

Gaussian

Plane

For source movies, please visit

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Advanced Sources

Mode

TFSF

User-defined

For source movies, please visit

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Monitors and analysis groups

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Object library

Advanced objects can be

obtained via the Object
library
Structure groups
Analysis groups

Online Help Object library

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Monitors
FDTD Solutions has several monitors
Index monitors to record material properties
Movie monitors to create mpg movie files
Time monitors to record electromagnetic fields
as a function of time
Frequency monitors to perform fourier
transforms during the simulation
Mode expansion monitors expand field profiles
into a basis set of supported waveguide modes
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Index monitors
Index Monitors record material properties
Use it to make sure you are simulating the right structure!

(r )

The true structure

The meshed structure

i , j ,k

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Movie monitors
Use Movie Monitors for
visual aids in presentations!
observe dynamic light interaction
with the structure
to develop intuition for what the
simulation is doing
to make sure the simulation is
doing qualitatively what you
want

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Time monitors
Time Monitors record E(t) and H(t)
We use time monitors to
: Ensure the simulation has run long
enough
: Look for resonant frequencies by
doing a fast Fourier transforms (fft)
of a time signal
Find modes of resonant cavities
Bandstructure calculations

E(t) from a cavity simulation

Normally data is recorded at

single points

Online Help PC cavity getting started example

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fft of above data

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Frequency monitors
Frequency Monitors provide frequency
domain (i.e. steady state or CW)
data
: Fully vectorial CW data obtained via
fourier transform of time domain fields.
: Obtain data at many wavelengths from a
single simulation! Wavelength range
must be specified in advance
: Allow us to calculate:

|E|^2 at one frequency

transmission, reflection, absorption,

scattering, spatial field profiles, far field
projections, local (near) field
enhancements, light extraction
enhancement

Power transmission(f)

Online Help Ring resonator getting started example

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Mode expansion monitors

Mode expansion monitors
expand an arbitrary field
profile from a Frequency
monitor using waveguide
modes as a basis for the
expansion

Power coupling into

waveguide modes
S-parameter
extraction to
characterize
components for
further simulation with
INTERCONNECT

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Optimization and parameter sweeps

Online Help Optimization and sweeps

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Analysis of results

Results
viewer
Browse Object
tree.
Red icon means
the object has
simulation data

Right click to
calculate and
visualize results

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Basic analysis - Visualizer

Select data to
display from
Attributes and
Parameters
sections
Export data as
jpeg, text file, or
copy and paste
into Excel
View data in
tabular format
and select all or
portion of data
to export
Online Help Visualizer
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Advanced analysis with scripting

Right click on
menu bar (or
use View menu)

Script file editor

Script favorites

Script prompt

Script workspace

Online Help Scripting resources

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FDTD Solutions Workflow Example

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Create Physical Structures

Set Simulation Parameters
Define Sources
Define Monitors
Run Simulation
Analyze Results
Repeat if necessary

We will go through these steps in the following example.

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Convergence testing
Use a coarse mesh for initial simulations
: Memory scales as 1/dx3
: Simulation time scales as 1/dx4

Online Help Testing convergence

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Simple example
Part 1: Measure the transmission through a 50 nm thick slab of Si on
glass from 400 to 800nm
1. Physical Structures

2. Simulation Area

- Set drawing grid to 25nm

- Create structures

- Set dimension to 2D
- BC (Periodic in x, PML in y)
- x span=400nm, y span=1 micron
- Mesh accuracy of 2

3. Sources

4. Monitors

- Plane wave source, from glass

side to air
- Wavelength 400 to 800nm

- Movie monitor
- Index monitor over entire structure
- Time monitor in Si layer
- Transmission/Reflection monitors R, T
(100 frequency points each)
- Full profile over entire structure
(5 frequency points)

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Simple example

Recalculate and look at the FDTD mesh

What happens at the interface?

For precise control set mesh order correctly

: Do we need a mesh override region?

: Which material is used here?

Silicon

The
interface
point
will be
Silicon!

Glass

Be careful to extend structure into the

PML boundary condition

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Simple example
Check memory requirements!
Check material fits

Save simulation file under name simple_example.fsp

Run simulation
: Note when the simulation auto-shutoff occurs
Can we reduce the maximum simulation time for the next
simulation?

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Simple example
Analyze results
: Run the movie: movie.mpg
: Visualize monitor results by right-clicking object in Objects Tree
or selecting the object and right-clicking the result in Results
View window
: Plot Ez vs time (auto-shutoff?)
: Image n and k. Is the structure correct?
: Plot transmission vs wavelength
: Image |Ez|2 at 3 different wavelengths

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Simple example
Part 2: Set up a parameter sweep to sweep the thickness of the Si
layer from 50 nm to 100 nm over 5 points.

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Simple example
Visualize sweep results
: Change the plot type to 1D
Line plot to get transmission
spectrum at a certain thickness
: Select the Si_thickness
parameter and move the slider
to plot the transmission
spectrum at each thicknesses

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Where to find help and examples

Online help at
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

www.lumerical.com/fdtd_online_help

New features summary

Installation manual
Getting started
Reference guide
Script function reference
User guide
Application help

Application summaries
: www.lumerical.com/fdtd_applications

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Getting help
Technical Support
: Email: [email protected]
: Online help: www.lumerical.com/fdtd_online_help
Many examples, user guide, full text search, getting started,
reference guide, installation manuals

: Phone: +1-604-733-9006 and press 2 for support

Sales information: [email protected]

Find an authorized sales representative for your
region:
: www.lumerical.com and select Contact Us

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