Unstructured Mesh Generation
1. Overview
This is the default meshing method.
The mesh is constructed out of triangles and is refined near the metallurgical junction, oxide interfaces and in user defined mesh refinement windows.
The mesh technique can be toggled between this and the structured mesh from the menu via Mesh -> Use Unstructured Mesh.
2. Usage Instructions
Before creating a finite element device model, it is important to ensure that at least one region is defined.
To generate a finite element model:
- From the Menu, select
Mesh->Generate Finite Element Mesh Model. This will open the mesh properties dialog.
- From this window various edge lengths can be defined. These give the approximate edge lengths of mesh elements in the device. The edge length can be specified for the whole device and near the metallurgical junction and oxide interface. If you require mesh refinement in other areas you can add mesh refinement windows.
-
Once you are satisfied with the settings, click
OKto generate the mesh. -
Depending on the complexity of the device model and the edge lengths, the generation process may take some time. The progress of the mesh generation will be displayed in the status window in the centre of the screen. Once complete, the finished FE model will be displayed. The P and N regions of the device will be shown in red and blue, highlighting the position of the metallurgical junction, which is the point where the net doping concentration is zero cm-3.
3. Parameters
| Name | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Max Element Edge Length (Hint) | The approximate maximum edge length of mesh elements throughout the whole device. | µm |
| Minimum Angle | Triangles in the mesh will have internal angles above this value. This affects the smoothness of the mesh but higher values can cause meshing to fail. | Degrees |
| Distance to Junction | Additional refinement will be applied to elements within this distance to the metallurgical junction. The size of elements will scale linearly from the minimum size at the junction to the maximum size at this distance | µm |
| Distance to Interface | Additional refinement will be applied to elements within this distance to the oxide interface. The size of elements will scale linearly from the minimum size at the boundary to the maximum size at this distance | µm |
| Minimum Edge Length (Hint) | The approximate edge length of mesh elements at the junction/boundary. | µm |
| Maximum Edge Length (Hint) | The approximate edge length of mesh elements at the specified distance to the junction/boundary. | µm |