Introduction

Ansys Maxwell is an interactive software package that uses finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate (solve) electromagnetic field problems. Maxwell integrates with other Ansys software packages to perform complex tasks while remaining simple to use. This guide will focus on Maxwell's integration with Ansys ECAD, and it will show how to enhance an ECAD design using Maxwell's MCAD tools.

Maxwell can be used for PCB layout analysis. It can calculate noise vibrations at low frequency, so it can be used to do the following:

  • Understand how permanent magnets located in proximity of PCB influence the noise
  • Reduce noise issues by computing Lorentz forces between traces
  • Model deformation and vibrations due to harmonic forces
  • Obtain acoustic response of boards resulting from vibrations

PCB layouts can be imported into Maxwell and edited from within the Maxwell interface. This Getting Started Guide will detail the steps required to import and simulate an example layout.

Note: For more details on using 3D layouts in Maxwell, see 3D Transient Solution with an A-Phi Formulation.

To analyze a problem, you specify the appropriate geometry, material properties, and excitations for a device or system of devices. The Maxwell software then does the following:

  • Automatically creates the required finite element mesh.
  • Calculates the desired electric or magnetic field solution and special quantities of interest, such as force, torque, inductance, capacitance, or power loss. The specific types of field solutions and quantities that can be computed depend on which Maxwell 3D solution type you specified (electric fields, DC magnetics, AC magnetics, transient fields and data).
  • Allows you to analyze, manipulate, and display field solutions.

For this example, a 3D layout will be imported as a component, so the geometry and material properties will already be defined. Because this model was created in the HFSS 3D Layout tool, it includes layer information, so it is considered a 3D layout. But when it is imported into Maxwell, it is considered as a 3D component.

This design is a power delivery network board; the 3D layout in the HFSS 3D Layout tool is shown below:

Below is the 3D layout imported as a component in Maxwell. Note that only select nets are shown.

Maxwell will be used to identify the simultaneous switching noise in the device.