Multiphysics Modeling with Computational Electromagnetics

As computational methods for solving Maxwell's equations become rather mature, the time has come to tackle much more challenging multiphysics problems, which have a great range of applications in science and technology. In this chapter, we use four examples to illustrate the challenges and resolutions of multiphysics modeling. The first example is related to electromagnetic hyperthermia for cancer treatment, which requires solving electromagnetic and bioheat transfer equation for the planning and optimization of the treatment process. The second example concerns the heat problem in integrated circuits due to electromagnetic dissipated power and its effects and a potential cooling solution, which requires an electrical–thermal–fluid–mechanical co-simulation. The third example considers modeling of monolithic microwave integrated circuits, which consist of both distributive and lumped circuit components. The fourth example simulates the air and dielectric breakdown in high-power microwave devices by coupling electromagnetic modeling with various plasma models. With these examples, we discuss in detail some of the technical challenges typically encountered in multiphysics modeling and their potential solutions.