Benefits of higher order elements for electrostatic simulations of large-scale 3D insulator structures

In finite element method (FEM) simulations of electrostatic fields of large-scale 3D insulator structures, second order elements are used instead of linear elements while maintaining mesh and simulation parameters. Additional nodes on the edges of the elements are adapted to more accurately reflect surface geometry. This results in a more accurate approximation through curvilinear higher order elements. In order to validate this approach, a simplified geometry with a known analytic solution is employed. Furthermore, simulation results of a large-scale 3D insulator structure with several million degrees of freedom are presented herein.