Computer Simulation Technology (CST) unveiled its Characteristic Mode Analysis tool for CST STUDIO SUITE 2016 at European Microwave Week (EuMW) in Paris (8 to 10 September). Antenna engineers are faced with the challenge of optimizing antenna performance while complying with the functional and geometrical constraints of integrating multi-band antennas into compact devices. These tasks can be simplified with the latest extension to the CST STUDIO SUITE integral equation solver, the Characteristic Mode Analysis (CMA) tool.
CMA is a technique developed to provide physical insight into the behavior of a conducting surface. CMA calculates a set of orthogonal current-modes which are supported on a conducting surface – for example, the current modes of a metal plate. By using CMA, engineers can tune an antenna to the correct resonant frequencies and work out where to place the feed to couple into a particular radiating mode.
The CMA tool, which is built into the integral equation solver module of CST STUDIO SUITE, automates the process of calculating these modes, and calculates the modal significance (a measure of which modes are dominant at a particular frequency), farfield radiation pattern and surface current distribution associated with each mode, with automatic mode-tracking. This offers users significant insight into their device. For example, when developing a multi-band printed antenna, the CMA tool can be used to calculate the current modes on the antenna at the desired resonant frequency, and then optimize the geometry to increase the coupling to the desired mode.
Availability
The CMA tool will be available with CST STUDIO SUITE 2016, which is due for release at the end of Q1 2016.
