An FPGA Implementation of the Two-Dimensional Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) Algorithm
Abstract
Three-Dimensional Finite-Difference Time-Domain (3D FDTD) is a powerful method for modelling the electromagnetic field. The 3D FDTD buried object detection forward model is emerging as a useful application in mine detection and other subsurface sensing areas. However, the computation of this model is complex and time consuming. Implementing this algorithm in hardware will greatly increase its computational speed and widen its use in many other areas. We present an FPGA implementation to speedup the pseudo-2D FDTD algorithm which is a simplified version of the 3D FDTD model. The pseudo-2D model can be upgraded to 3D with limited modification of structure. We implement the pseudo-2D FDTD model and complete boundary conditions on an FPGA. The computational speed on the reconfigurable hardware is about three orders of magnitude faster than the software implementation. Understanding and predicting electromagnetic behavior is more and more needed in key electrical engineering technologies such as cellular phones, mobile computing, lasers and photonic circuits 2. After K. Yee first introduce the FDTD method in 1966, people began to realize its accuracy and flexibility for solving electromagnetic problems 1. The FDTD method provides a direct time-domain solution of Maxwell s Equations in differential form by discretizing both the physical region and time interval using a uniform grid. Because this method can solve Maxwell s equations on any scale with almost all kinds of environments, it has become a powerful method for solving a wide variety of different electromagnetic problems 3.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA428226
Entities
People
- Carey Rappaport
- Miriam Leeser
- Panos Kosmas
- Wang Chen
Organizations
- Northeastern University