Electromagnetic Finite-Difference Time-Domain Scattering Analysis of Multilayered/Porous Materials in Specific Geometric Meshing

ZHANG Yuxian; YANG Zijiang; HUANG Zhixiang; FENG Xiaoli; FENG Naixing; YANG Lixia

doi:10.11999/JEIT250348

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ZHANG Yuxian, YANG Zijiang, HUANG Zhixiang, FENG Xiaoli, FENG Naixing, YANG Lixia. Electromagnetic Finite-Difference Time-Domain Scattering Analysis of Multilayered/Porous Materials in Specific Geometric Meshing[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT250348

Citation:

ZHANG Yuxian, YANG Zijiang, HUANG Zhixiang, FENG Xiaoli, FENG Naixing, YANG Lixia. Electromagnetic Finite-Difference Time-Domain Scattering Analysis of Multilayered/Porous Materials in Specific Geometric Meshing[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT250348

Citation:

ZHANG Yuxian, YANG Zijiang, HUANG Zhixiang, FENG Xiaoli, FENG Naixing, YANG Lixia. Electromagnetic Finite-Difference Time-Domain Scattering Analysis of Multilayered/Porous Materials in Specific Geometric Meshing[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT250348

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Electromagnetic Finite-Difference Time-Domain Scattering Analysis of Multilayered/Porous Materials in Specific Geometric Meshing

doi: 10.11999/JEIT250348 cstr: 32379.14.JEIT250348

ZHANG Yuxian^{1, 2, 3},
YANG Zijiang¹,
HUANG Zhixiang^{1, 2, 4},
FENG Xiaoli⁴,
FENG Naixing^{1, 2},
YANG Lixia^{1, 3}

1.
School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
2.
Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei 230601, China
3.
National Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, Hefei 230601, China
4.
Industry-Education-Research Institute of Advanced Materials and Technology for Integrated Circuits, Hefei 230601, China

Funds: National Natural Science Foundation of China (62101333, 62531001), 2024 Program for Teachers of Science and Engineering in Colleges and Universities of Anhui Province to Take Temporary Positions in Enterprises (2024jsqygz02), 2024 Task of Postgraduate Education Quality Project of Anhui Province (2024cxcyjs004)

Received Date: 2025-05-06
Rev Recd Date: 2025-10-10

Available Online: 2025-10-20

Abstract

Abstract

The Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method is a widely used tool for analyzing the electromagnetic properties of dielectric media, but its application is often constrained by model complexity and mesh discretization. To enhance the efficiency of electromagnetic scattering simulations in multilayered/porous materials, we proposes an accelerated FDTD scheme in this paper. Computational geometry algorithms can be employed with the proposed method to rapidly generate Yee’s grids, utilizing a three-dimensional voxel array to define material distributions and field components. By exploiting the voxel characteristics, parallel algorithms are employed to efficiently compute Radar Cross Sections (RCS) for non-analytical geometries. In contrast to conventional volumetric mesh generation, which relies on analytic formulas, this work integrates ray-intersection techniques with Signed Distance Functions (SDFs). Calculations of tangent planes and intersection points minimize invalid traversals and reduce computational complexity, thus expediting grid-based electromagnetic parameter assignment for porous and irregular structures. The approach is applied to the RCS calculations of multilayered/porous models, demonstrating excellent consistency with results from popular commercial solvers (FEKO, CST, HFSS) while offering substantially higher efficiency. Numerical experiments confirm significant reductions in computation time and computer memory without compromising accuracy. Overall, the proposed acceleration scheme enhances the FDTD method’s ability to handle complex dielectric structures, providing an effective balance between computational speed and accuracy, and offering innovative solutions for rapid mesh generation and processing of complex internal geometries. Objective The FDTD method, a reliable approach for computing the electromagnetic properties of dielectric media, faces constraints in computational efficiency and accuracy due to model structure and mesh discretization. A major challenge in the field is achieving efficient electromagnetic scattering analysis with minimal computational resources while maintaining sufficient wavelength sampling resolution. To address this difficulty, we propose an FDTD-based electromagnetic analysis acceleration scheme that enhances simulation efficiency by significantly improving mesh generation and optimizing grid partitioning for complex multilayered/porous models. Methods In this study, those Yee’s grids for complex materials are efficiently generated using computational geometry algorithms and a 3D voxel array to define material distribution and field components. A parallel algorithm leverages voxel data to accelerate RCS calculations for non-analytical geometries. Unlike conventional volumetric meshing methods that rely on analytic formulas, this approach integrates ray-intersection techniques with SDFs. Calculations of tangent planes and intersection points further reduce invalid traversals and geometric complexity, facilitating faster grid-based assignment of electromagnetic parameters. Numerical experiments validate that the method effectively supports porous and multilayered non-analytical structures, demonstrating both high efficiency and accuracy. Results and Discussions The accelerated volumetric meshing algorithm is validated using a Boeing 737 model, showing more than a 67.5% reduction in computation time across different resolutions. Efficiency decreases at very fine meshes because of heavier computational loads and suboptimal valid-grid ratios. The method is further evaluated on three multilayered/porous structures, achieving 85.55% faster computation and 9.8% lower memory usage compared with conventional FDTD. In comparison with commercial solvers (FEKO, CST, HFSS), equivalent accuracy is maintained while runtimes are reduced by 87.58% and memory consumption by 81.6%. In all tested cases, errors remain below 6% relative to high-resolution FDTD, confirming that the proposed acceleration scheme provides both high efficiency and reliable accuracy. Conclusions In this study, we optimize volumetric mesh generation in FDTD through computational geometry algorithms. By combining ray-intersection techniques with reliable SDFs, the proposed approach efficiently manages internal cavities, while tangent-plane calculations minimize traversal operations and complexity, thereby accelerating scattering analysis. The scheme extends the applicability of FDTD to a broader range of dielectric structures and materials, delivering substantial savings in computation time and memory without compromising accuracy. Designed to support universal geometric model files, the framework shows strong potential for stealth optimization of multi-material structures and the development of electromagnetic scattering systems. It represents an important step toward integrating computational geometry with computational electromagnetics.
- Electromagnetic scattering,
- Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method,
- Mesh generation,
- Multilayered/porous materials

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References(19)

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