SEMCAD X Matterhorn New Release V17.4

The accelerated evolution of wireless technologies requires that modeling tools be upgraded regularly to stay abreast of developing trends. To remain the leader in this field, SPEAG constantly follows new trends and applications, often driven by user experience.

A particular highlight of the latest SEMCAD X Matterhorn release is the extension of our 5G Tool Box, making SEMCAD X the sole commercially available solution to offer all features requested by design engineers and regulators for the design of antenna arrays. This includes near-field and far-field optimization with maximum exposure determination for any array, on any surface, and at any distance.

In response to special user requests, V17.4 also includes various enhancements and new features such as high-performance computing/ graphics processing unit (HPC/GPU) and LF solver extensions (NVIDIA Volta support, MQS vector potential reconstruction via external B-field), and a whole set of productivity boosts for data analysis and post-processing (e.g., user-defined analysis pipelines).

The new release improves user-friendliness and productivity, and includes general improvements and bug fixes, to make your daily work more effective. Feedback, as always, is greatly welcomed – we listen!

Unique 5G Simulation Toolbox

NOVEL AND FAST 5G MAXIMUM EXPOSURE ALGORITHM

• Novel and exclusive algorithms have been added to the 5G simulation toolbox to make it easier than ever to include quantitative data on power density in regulatory submissions.
• The first robust and comprehensive methodology for determination of the maximum power density (norm or total pointing vector) on any surface for large arrays has been developed and implemented. The methodology, comprising a semi-analytical solver and five iterative optimization methods that run in parallel, ensures robust identification of worst-case configurations without overestimation.
• Surface-averaged power density on flat surfaces (fSAPD) can now be computed even faster with the fSAPD algorithm. A user-friendly interface allows choosing the exposure plane, the averaging area and the quantity of interest (norm or normal component of Poynting vector).

Watch the movie to experience how the 5G Toolkit in SEMCAD X Matterhorn V17.4 – featuring the unique Maximum Exposure algorithm – can be effectively used to assess the performance and safety of mmWave applications with phased-array antennas, e.g., of a mobile phone or of a finger ring phased array operating at 28 GHz.

Solvers and High-Performance Computing

B-FIELD AS EXCITATION FOR INDUCED CURRENT SOLVER MQS

• The requirement in previous releases, i.e., knowledge of the vector potential field (A-field) for the magneto quasi-static simulation (MQS) to compute the induced E-field, has been relaxed; it is now sufficient to provide only the magnetic B-field as the excitation field.
• The B-field provided by the user is used to reconstruct a vector potential field suitable for driving the magneto-quasi-static simulation. The user can then easily check the accuracy of the reconstructed A-field in the post-processor.
• The new feature enables straightforward coupling of any external EM solvers to our magneto-quasi-static solver and is fully compatible with all ViP and standard phantom models, thus intensifying the focus on induced currents in human body environment setups.

ENHANCED GPU COMPUTING

• SEMCAD X Matterhorn V17.4 now supports the NVIDIA Volta generation GPU architecture (Titan V, Quadro GV100, Tesla V100, etc.), which leads to a substantial boost in performance over previous architectures (e.g., doubled speed compared to Kepler).
• Also new is that the AXE library now allows for computation jobs to run concurrently, i.e., shared memory machines with multiple GPUs/CPUs installed can run their simulations simultaneously on a subset of cards/processors.

Post-Processing/Analysis

NEW ANALYSIS METHODS AND FEATURE ENHANCEMENTS

• A very-long-awaited feature is the integration of the Gamma Comparison Method, which permits visual comparison of distributions and provides a metric of their agreement. This very powerful approach, which has been used by our research partners to compare simulations and measurements for quantitative validation purposes, provides a means for handling variations in distribution patterns.
• A new histogram/cumulative histogram filter allows not only visualization of the distribution of values, but also computation of the exact isopercentiles and isovolumes. Potential applications are the determination of (i) certain standardized dosimetric quantities, where the most exposed 1% of the volume can be discarded, (ii) dose quantities used to predict the efficacy of thermal oncology treatments, e.g., the temperature achieved in 90% of the tumor, and (iii) brain exposure quantification, where the volume or percentage of brain volume exposed to field strengths higher than the threshold needs to be quantified, and more.
• Selections of multiple post-processing algorithms can now be grouped into a single algorithm, allowing complex workflows to be reduced to just a few customized post-processing blocks with no compromise on the power and versatility of SEMCAD’s pipelining analysis tools.
• Further, a selection of post-processing algorithms can be easily saved into analysis pipelines for re-use later in other simulations, in different projects, or by different teams.

A more comprehensive list of improvements, fixes, and new features is included in the Release Notes.

To experience the power and elegance of SEMCAD X Matterhorn V17.4 or for further information, please email us at semx-sales@speag.swiss or call +41 44 245 9700.

The relevant SEMCAD X Matterhorn installers for Win7/Win8/8.1/Win10 64-bit platforms can be downloaded here. Existing customers with up-to-date annual maintenance and support plans will receive individually all pertinent information regarding the Software Installer download and updated licenses.

SPEAG is committed to empowering our customers to reach new heights of productivity and scientific achievement by providing outstanding innovative software solutions, testing equipment, and service.

The SEMCAD X Matterhorn Team

5G Toolkit in SEMCAD X Matterhorn V17.4: 28 GHz active antenna with 36 elements. Best achievable performance for each subarray is assessed with the Max-Gain algorithm. Highest power-density levels are found by the Maximum Exposure Evaluator algorithm. The antenna can be tuned to optimize performance while ensuring that the arrays always operate within safety limits.

Magnetic (H-) field generated in SEMCAD X Matterhorn V17.4 by a resonant wireless power transfer (WPT) system for charging an electric vehicle at 85 kHz. The H-field distribution was obtained in silico after analytical reconstruction of the vector potential A from sparse H-field samples.

User-defined analysis pipelines in SEMCAD X Matterhorn V17.4: Customized post-processing tasks such as computing the antennas' figures of merit or plotting specific radiation patterns are now easy to save and reuse.