A two-dimensional resistance simulator using the boundary element method

A resistance simulator for extraction of the parasitic parameters from VLSI layout is presented. The calculation of the resistor network is based on the boundary element method (BEM). The computational results indicate that the BEM has an advantage over the finite difference method (FDM) and the finite element method (FEM). Since only discretized equations on the boundary of solved domain need to be solved, the grid number on the boundary is much smaller and mesh generation is greatly simplified. Hence the execution CPU time is reduced drastically. In order to treat the corners on the boundary, the concept of multiple normal derivatives at a corner is proposed. The concept is used in both continuous and partially discontinuous linear elements to increase the accuracy and reduce the number of unknowns. It is shown that a nonuniform mesh scheme is useful for problems with some stronger singularities