Fast direct solution algorithm for electromagnetic scattering from 3D planar and quasi-planar geometries

Although several different techniques exist, the need to solve larger problems with limited computational resources has sparked the successful development of numerous new fast solvers. However, no method can be expected to solve all classes of problems. For instance, the iterative solvers, which are perfectly suited for large problems, perform poorly for near-resonant structures. Some techniques are limited to 2D geometries, whereas some others are limited homogeneous-medium problems. The development of a new noniterative method and its application to planar geometries in homogeneous media is presented. The method can easily and naturally be extended to the cases of quasi-planar structures and/or layered-media problems as discussed.