Automated Topology Design for Electromagnetic Devices

Abstract

In this paper a novel automated design procedure based on the integration of a full wave Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and a topology design method employing Sequential Linear Programming (SLP) is introduced. The employed topology design method is the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) technique which is formulated as a general non‐linear optimization problem. SLP is used to solve the optimization problem with the sensitivity analysis based on the adjoint variable method for complex variables. A key aspect of the proposed design method is the integration of optimization tools with a fast simulator based on the Finite Element‐Boundary Integral (FE‐BI) method. The capability of the proposed design method is demonstrated by designing a patch antenna subject to pre‐specified bandwidth and miniaturization criteria. Results show that the proposed design method is capable of designing full three‐dimensional volumetric material textures and printed conductor topologies for filters and patch antennas with enhanced performance. © 2004 American Institute of Physics