Advances in finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) numerical modeling techniques for Maxwell´s equations

Prompted to a significant degree by perceived limitations of the method of moments, there has been an explosion of interest in the engineering electromagnetic wave community in direct solutions of the fundamental Maxwell´s curl equations on space grids in either the time or frequency domain. The finite-difference time domain (FD-TD) method introduced by Yee (1966), has received perhaps the most attention during this period because of its simplicity and robustness. Advances in FD-TD modeling techniques have further improved its modeling accuracy and expanded its range of applications. These advances are succinctly summarized under the sections: 1. Berenger perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary condition; 2. Dispersive, nonlinear, and gain material models; 3. Active circuit device models; 4. Planar unstructured meshes; and 5. Software development for massively parallel computers