Magnetic Diffusion in Nonlinear Micro-Media: A Modified Finite-Difference Time-Domain Approach

Hur Koser, Florent Cros, Mark G. Allen, Jeffrey H. Lang
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US

Keywords: MEMS, magnetic diffusion, saturation, FDTD

Abstract:
As flux densities and frequencies are raised to increase the performance of magnetic micro-actuators, micro-motors/generators, and micro-inductors, eddy currents and magnetic saturation start to limit the performance of these devices. In this paper, we present a powerful numerical method based on a modified finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation of Maxwell’s equations. This method successfully models both eddy currents and material saturation within a magnetic MEMS device. Experimental verification of the method is also presented.

NSTI Nanotech 2003 Conference Technical Program Abstract