ECAD Import Module User’s Guide

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Part number: CM023601

C o n t e n t s

Chapter 1: Introduction

About This Guide 6

About the ECAD Import Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Where Do I Access the Documentation and Application Libraries? . . . . 6

Chapter 2: Importing ECAD Files

Importing IPC-2581 and ODB++ Files 12

File Formats for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Extruding Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Import Settings for IPC-2581 and ODB++ Files . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Importing GDS-II Files 21

The GDS-II File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Extruding Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Import Settings for GDS-II Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Meshing an Imported Geometry 28

Troubleshooting ECAD Import 29

Tuning Import Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Problems When Extruding Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Problems with Several Geometry Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 3: Programming and Command Reference

Commands 32
Import of ECAD Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

CONTENTS |3
4 | CONTENTS
 1

Introduction

Welcome to the ECAD Import Module. This User’s Guide details features and
functionality available with the product.

This introductory chapter is About This Guide.

5
About This Guide
This documentation covers the ECAD Import Module.

About the ECAD Import Module

This product extends the functionality of COMSOL Multiphysics by enabling modeling using
imported ECAD design files.

The import capabilities cover the GDS II, NETEX-G, ODB++®, and ODB++(X) file
formats and include the creation of 3D geometry during the import operation.

Where Do I Access the Documentation and Application Libraries?

A number of internet resources have more information about COMSOL, including licensing
and technical information. The electronic documentation, topic-based (or context-based)
help, and the application libraries are all accessed through the COMSOL Desktop.

If you are reading the documentation as a PDF file on your computer, the
blue links do not work to open an application or content referenced in a
different guide. However, if you are using the Help system in COMSOL
Multiphysics, these links work to other modules (as long as you have a
license), application examples, and documentation sets.

THE DOCUMENTATION AND ONLINE HELP

The COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual describes all core physics interfaces and
functionality included with the COMSOL Multiphysics license. This book also has
instructions about how to use COMSOL Multiphysics and how to access the electronic
Documentation and Help content.

Opening Topic-Based Help

The Help window is useful as it is connected to many of the features on the GUI. To learn
more about a node in the Model Builder, or a window on the Desktop, click to highlight a
node or window, then press F1 to open the Help window, which then displays information

6 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
about that feature (or click a node in the Model Builder followed by the Help button ( ).
This is called topic-based (or context) help.

To open the Help window:

• In the Model Builder, Application Builder, or Physics Builder click a node or

window and then press F1.
• On any toolbar (for example, Home, Definitions, or Geometry), hover the
mouse over a button (for example, Add Physics or Build All) and then
press F1.
• From the File menu, click Help ( ).
• In the upper-right corner of the COMSOL Desktop, click the Help( )
button.

To open the Help window:

• In the Model Builder or Physics Builder click a node or window and then
press F1.
• On the main toolbar, click the Help ( ) button.
• From the main menu, select Help>Help.

ABOUT THIS GUIDE | 7

 Opening the Documentation Window

To open the Documentation window:

• Press Ctrl+F1.
• From the File menu select Help>Documentation ( ).

To open the Documentation window:

• Press Ctrl+F1.
• On the main toolbar, click the Documentation ( ) button.
• From the main menu, select Help>Documentation.

THE APPLICATION LIBRARIES WINDOW

Each application includes documentation with the theoretical background and step-by-step
instructions to create a model application. The applications are available in COMSOL as
MPH-files that you can open for further investigation. You can use the step-by-step
instructions and the actual applications as a template for your own modeling and applications.
In most models, SI units are used to describe the relevant properties, parameters, and
dimensions in most examples, but other unit systems are available.

Once the Application Libraries window is opened, you can search by name or browse under
a module folder name. Click to view a summary of the application and its properties, including
options to open it or a PDF document.

The Application Libraries Window in the COMSOL Multiphysics

Reference Manual.

Opening the Application Libraries Window

To open the Application Libraries window ( ):

• From the Home toolbar, Windows menu, click ( ) Applications

Libraries.
• From the File menu select Application Libraries.

To include the latest versions of model examples, from the File>Help

menu, select ( ) Update COMSOL Application Library.

8 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 Select Application Libraries from the main File> or Windows> menus.

To include the latest versions of model examples, from the Help menu
select ( ) Update COMSOL Application Library.

CONTACTING COMSOL BY EMAIL

For general product information, contact COMSOL at info@comsol.com.

To receive technical support from COMSOL for the COMSOL products, please contact your
local COMSOL representative or send your questions to support@comsol.com. An automatic
notification and case number is sent to you by email.

COMSOL WEBSITES

COMSOL website www.comsol.com

Contact COMSOL www.comsol.com/contact
COMSOL Access www.comsol.com/access
Support Center www.comsol.com/support
Product Download www.comsol.com/product-download
Product Updates www.comsol.com/support/updates
COMSOL Blog www.comsol.com/blogs
Discussion Forum www.comsol.com/community
Events www.comsol.com/events
COMSOL Video Gallery www.comsol.com/video
Support Knowledge Base www.comsol.com/support/knowledgebase

ABOUT THIS GUIDE | 9

10 | CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
 2

Importing ECAD Files

ECAD file formats have been designed to transfer information necessary for the
manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs), integrated circuits (ICs) and
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. You can import data from
ECAD files to generate geometry for simulation. During the import of an ECAD
file geometry objects are generated based on the 2D layouts and stackup
information found in the files.

In this section:

• Importing IPC-2581 and ODB++ Files

• Importing GDS-II Files
• Meshing an Imported Geometry
• Troubleshooting ECAD Import

11
 Importing IPC-2581 and ODB++
Files
In this section:

• File Formats for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

• Extruding Layers
• Import Settings for IPC-2581 and ODB++ Files

File Formats for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

The IPC-2581 and OBD++ file formats can handle most of the information needed to
manufacture a PCB. For generating a geometry for simulation only some of this
information is needed, such as the layout of copper layers, the board outline, and layer
stackup information.

An ECAD file for PCBs may also include layers with 2D layouts that specify, for
example, the vias and component outlines on the board. You can also import these
layers. In a file, the 2D layouts consist of shapes, also called symbols that build the
geometry of copper traces and pads. A large number of symbols are specified by the
supported PCB formats, for example, lines, circles, rectangles, and surfaces to name a
few.

THE ODB++ FORMAT

The ODB++ format defines a directory structure with several files, each containing
parts of information about the PCB. An entire PCB layout is often distributed as
zipped or unzipped tar archives.

The ODB++ import reads the layer list and the first step in the file. From the first step
the layer features and the board outline are extracted, but the package information is
skipped. Multiple step files are not supported.

Microwave Filter on PCB with Stress: Application Library path

RF_Module/Filters/pcb_microwave_filter_with_stress

12 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

Extruding Layers
To obtain a 3D geometry for the board the 2D layouts from the PCB file are extruded,
according to the layer stackup information, using one of two methods. A special
extrude operation can automatically connect the imported layers to generate a single
geometry object after the import. The extruded layers correspond to domains in the
resulting object. If the 2D layouts are such that the special extrude algorithm cannot
be used a second method is available that performs several extrude operations to
generate one geometry object per layer. See how to select the import method in
Grouping of Geometries.

Import Settings for IPC-2581 and ODB++ Files

To add an Import node, from the Home or Geometry toolbar, click Import ( ). In the
Import section of the Settings window, set the type of file to import to ECAD file. You
can also skip this step as the type of the selected file is automatically recognized by the
code. Click Browse to locate the file to import, or enter the path to the file. Before
clicking the Import button consider to review and configure the import options,
especially the layer thickness information, since in many cases the IPC-2581 files and
ODB++ archives do not include all necessary information to construct a 3D geometry.

The length unit in the file is detected and displayed in the Settings window. To use the
unit in the file as the length unit for the geometry sequence select the Update geometry
unit check box. The check box is selected by default if the Import node is added as the
first node in the geometry sequence. The length unit of the geometry sequence is set
to inch when the length unit mil is detected in the selected file.

GROUPING OF GEOMETRIES
To determine the extrusion method used for generating the 3D geometry from the 2D
layouts select one of the available alternatives from the Grouping of geometries list:

• All. This alternative is available only in 3D. The import algorithm extrudes in one
operation all imported copper and dielectric layers into a single 3D geometry object.
From each copper layer, the imported symbols, such as lines, pads, and surfaces, are
combined before extrusion. The copper and dielectric layers become domains in the
resulting object. To be able to connect the layers, the algorithm requires that the
2D layouts fulfill certain rules. If the import fails, switch to the By layer grouping
option.
• By layer. Use this alternative to extrude each layer separately. The imported symbols,
such as lines, pads, or surfaces, from the copper layers are combined before

IMPORTING IPC-2581 AND ODB++ FILES | 13

 extrusion. Several geometry objects, one for each imported copper and dielectric
layer, are output by the import.
• No grouping. Use this alternative to import and extrude individually each symbol
from the copper layers. The import results in separate objects for imported symbols
and dielectric layers.

When using the No grouping alternative you have the option to import line symbols as
curve objects by selecting the Ignore line width check box.

Note: Using the ignore line width option you can construct geometry objects for
components on the board from the information on layers with component outlines.
To do this configure an Import node to import only the component outline layer.
Select the No grouping method, and the Ignore line width check box. Also select the
Manual control of elevations check box, and set the elevation to an appropriate value,
but keep the default zero layer thickness. After the import use geometry operations to
convert the component outline curve objects to surface objects, and extrude those to
3D components.

COPPER LAYERS
The Type of import list specifies how to treat copper layers. The Full 3D option imports
all copper layers with a thickness according to the Layers to import table. With the Metal
shell options copper layers are imported as embedded boundaries between dielectric
regions. As illustrated in the figure below, this setting does not affect the thickness and

14 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

elevation of the dielectric layers, which are always extruded according to the data in the
Layers to import table.

Inner layer Top layer Inner layer Top layer

Top dielectric Top dielectric

Inner dielectric Inner dielectric

Bottom layer Bottom layer

Type of import: Full 3D Type of import: Metal shell

Figure 2-1: Cross-section of a PCB with three copper layers after Full 3D import, to the
left, and Metal shell import, to the right.

For 3D imports, when the geometry grouping All and the import type
Metal shells are used together, an isolated copper layer cannot be imported
if the import also includes another solid (dielectric) layer. In this case use
the By layer grouping, or add two Import features to the geometry
sequence, one to import the copper layer, and a second one for the solid
layers.

CONTROLLING THE LAYER STACKUP

The import can read stackup information from the PCB file, such as the thickness for
copper and dielectric layers. The layer information is displayed in the Layers to import
table. Sometimes the layer thickness is not included in the export from the ECAD
program, so the layers get the default zero thickness. Therefore it is recommended that
these values are checked before importing.

Select the Manual control of elevations check box to enable the repositioning of layers
in the stackup. This check box is enabled when Grouping of geometries is set to By layer
or No grouping. When the Manual control of elevations check box is cleared, the z
positions of the layers are calculated automatically from the layer Thickness values.

Select the Show names from file check box to display the layer names as included in the
PCB file. This is useful after assigning new layer names that are used in the COMSOL
application.

IMPORTING IPC-2581 AND ODB++ FILES | 15

 The Layers to import table contains the following columns:

• The Name column displays the layer names from the file. You can edit the entries to
give more descriptive names to the layers. The names that appear here are used to
name the resulting geometry objects and the selections when the Layer selections
check box is selected under Selections of Resulting Entities.
• The Name in file column is visible only when you select the Show names from file
check box above the table. The Name in file column always displays the layer name
from the PCB file, even after editing the Name column.
• The Type column declares the type of layers. Depending on their type, the import
treats layers differently during import. For example, the geometry from a layer of
type Metal is extruded only if the Type of import is set to Full 3D. A union of the
objects from the Outline layer is used as the PCB outline to determine the extent of
the dielectric layers. The Drill layer type means that the objects in the layer define
drilled via holes through the PCB.
• The values in the Thickness column are used as the extrusion distances for the layers.
Layer elevations are also calculated based on these values when Manual control of
elevations is not enabled. The values in the layer Thickness column can always be
changed prior to import.
• The values in the Elevation column control the lower z positions of the layers. By
adjusting the values you can adjust the position of layers in the stackup. The
Elevation column is only displayed when Manual control of elevations is enabled.
• The Import column. Clear the check box for layers that do not need to be imported.

To save the layers table to a text file, click the Save to File button ( ) under the table.
To load layer table information from a text file, click the Load from File button ( )
under the table. Only the editable data in the table is affected when loading from file.
Layer data in the file that does not match the existing layers in the table is ignored. To
reset the thickness and elevation values in the table to the last read data from the PCB
file click the Reset Thickness and Elevation button ( ). To select the Import check box
in the table for all copper and dielectric layers click the Select All Metal and Dielectric
Layers for Import button ( ). Click the Clear All Imports button ( ) to clear all
check boxes in the Import column. To reload the layer information from the PCB file
to the table click the Reload Layers button ( ).

DIELECTRIC LAYERS
When the PCB file includes the outline of the PCB board in the file the dielectric
regions are generated to the shape of the board. Even if the dielectric layers are selected

16 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

for import in the Layers to import table, the import and extrusion of the corresponding
objects or domains can be turned off by clearing the Import dielectric regions check
box.

INTERIOR BOUNDARIES
By default the Keep interior boundaries check box is cleared to instruct the import to
remove all interior boundaries on the imported layers. Interior boundaries on the
copper layers are the result of the union of the individual symbols that make up the
traces. Ignoring the interior boundaries keeps the geometry complexity to a minimum
and can also make the import more robust in some situations.

COPPER TEXT AND OBJECTS OUTSIDE THE BOARD BOUNDARY

It is not uncommon that the copper layouts have text objects that provide information,
and are not part of any electrical circuits. Shapes may be also included for example to
mark the board boundaries, and these shapes are often positioned outside the board.
Such objects may make it more difficult to construct the geometry and are usually of
no interest in a physical simulation.

Select the Ignore text objects check box to skip all objects in a PCB file that have the
TEXT tag set. To prevent objects outside the board from being imported select the
check box Ignore objects outside of board. Objects that are positioned outside the
board, at a distance greater than that specified by the offset in the Offset from boundary
field, are ignored by the import. The default value for the offset is −0.1 mm, which
means that objects that are further into the board than 0.1 mm from the board
boundary are imported. The offset should only be taken as an approximation. It is only
checked where the object has its defining points, which are not necessarily the same
points that can seen on an object after it has been imported. For example, a trace is
defined by its start and end points, which lie on the center line of the trace. Similarly,
a circle might be defined by four points (south, north, east and west). Thus, an object
might be ignored even if an edge is further inside the board than the specified by the
offset, as long as all the points that define the object are farther away from the
boundary than the offset.

REPAIR
Geometry repair is controlled via the Repair imported data check box and the Repair
tolerance list. Change the Repair tolerance from Automatic to Relative to manually
specify a tolerance in the Relative repair tolerance field. Automatic means a relative repair
tolerance of 10−6.

IMPORTING IPC-2581 AND ODB++ FILES | 17

 When selected, the geometry repair is active when combining the objects to generate
the geometry of each layer and also when the layers are combined together. By
increasing the repair tolerance, problems with short edges arising when combining the
objects can sometimes be circumvented. A repair tolerance that is too high may
however lead to breaking the geometry. As a guideline, the relative tolerance should
be kept between 10−5 to 10−8. Values at the lower end of this interval may result in
faster import at the cost of a higher number of short edges being present in the
imported geometry. Note that after the import short edges can automatically be
removed from the geometry using the Remove Details feature; see Remove Details in
the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual. For an example of using the Remove
Details feature on imported PCB geometry, see the tutorial Importing and Meshing
a PCB Geometry from an ODB++ Archive found in the Application Libraries for the
ECAD Import Module.

SELECTIONS OF RESULTING ENTITIES

If you want to make the resulting entities contribute to a cumulative selection, select
a cumulative selection from the Contribute to list (the default, None, gives no
contribution), or click the New button to create a new cumulative selection (see
Cumulative Selections in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual).

Select the Resulting objects selection check box to create predefined selections (for all
levels — objects, domains, boundaries, edges, and points — that are applicable) in
subsequent nodes in the geometry sequence. To also make all or one of the types of
resulting entities (domains, boundaries, edges, and points) that the resulting objects
consist of available as selections in all applicable selection lists (in physics and materials
settings, for example), choose an option from the Show in physics list: All levels, Domain
selection, Boundary selection, Edge selection, or Point selection. The default is Domain
selection, which is suitable for use with materials and physics defined in domains. For
use with a boundary condition, for example, choose Boundary selection. These
selections do not appear as separate selection nodes in the model tree. Select Off to not
make any selection available outside of the geometry sequence.

Select the Layer selections check box to create predefined selections — for domains,
boundaries, and objects — in subsequent nodes in the geometry sequence for each
imported layer in the PCB file. The boundary selection for drill layers include all
boundaries of the objects, whereas for all other layer types only the horizontal
boundaries are included in the selection.

To make the resulting entities that the layers consist of available as selections in all
applicable selection lists (in physics and materials settings, for example), choose an

18 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

option from the Show in physics list: All levels, Domain selection, or Boundary selection.
The default is All levels, which makes predefined selections available on all applicable
levels, suitable for use with materials and physics defined in domains and boundaries.
For use with a boundary condition, for example, choose Boundary selection. These
selections do not appear as separate selection nodes in the model tree. Select Off to not
make any selection available outside of the geometry sequence.

NET SELECTIONS
The sections Domain Net Selections (in 2D and 3D) and Boundary Net Selections (in
3D), contain a table that lists the generated selections for the imported nets. Net
selections are generated when importing IPC-2581 and ODB++ files. The tables
contain the following columns, ordered from left to right:

• Name - This column contains the name of the selection.

• Keep - The check box in this column is cleared by default, and determines whether
the selection will be available for use in geometry features following the Import
feature.
• Physics - The check box in this column is selected by default. Provided that also the
Keep check box has been selected, it determines whether the selection will be
available in all applicable selection lists in physics and materials settings, for example.
If the Import node has been added under the Plane Geometry node of a Work
Plane, this column header is titled 3D. If the Import node has been added to a
geometry part, this column header is titled Instances.
• Contribute to - Select a cumulative selection from the list in this column to make the
resulting entities contribute to a cumulative selection. The default, None, gives no
contribution. Contributing to a cumulative selection does not require that the Keep
check box has been selected.

Click the New Cumulative Selection button under the tables to create a new cumulative
selection (see Cumulative Selections in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference
Manual).

The entities in a selection are highlighted in yellow in the Graphics window when the
selection is clicked in the table. To zoom in on the selection use the Zoom to Selection
button in the Graphics toolbar.

The net selection names are derived from the net and layer names imported from the
PCB file. For example, for a net with the name NET on a board with three copper layers
(SIG1, GND, SIG2), two dielectric layers (SIG1.DIEL, GND.DIEL), and two drill layers
(DRILL1, DRILL2), the following selections are generated: NET.SIG1, NET.GND,

IMPORTING IPC-2581 AND ODB++ FILES | 19

 NET.SIG2, NET.DRILL1_SIG1_DIEL, NET.DRILL1_GND_DIEL,
NET.DRILL2_SIG1_DIEL, NET.DRILL2_GND_DIEL, and NET. The selection NET is the
union of all other selections for this net. If the name of a net is the same as the name
of a layer, for example GND, the suffix _N is attached to the name of the net selection to
avoid a name clash between net and layer selections.

Empty net selections are not generated; that is, a selection for the net is generated only
when the intersection of the net and the layer contains entities. For entities that do not
belong to a net, the selection NONET is generated.

The boundary net selections include only the horizontal boundaries for the copper and
dielectric layers and both vertical and horizontal boundaries for the drill layers. Note
that edge and vertex selections are not generated for nets.

20 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

Importing GDS-II Files
In this section:

• The GDS-II File Format

• Extruding Layers
• Import Settings for GDS-II Files

The GDS-II File Format

The GDS-II file format is commonly used for mask layout production used in the
manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and MEMS devices. The file is a
binary file, containing information about drawing units, geometry objects made of
polygons, and object drawing hierarchy. The drawing hierarchy is made up of a library
of cell definitions, where each cell can be instantiated (drawn several times) with
scaling, translation, mirroring, and rotation. It is also possible to repeat a cell as an
array of drawn objects. This is very useful for mask layouts of integrated circuits, which
often consist of millions of transistors. There are usually only a few transistor
configurations present on the layout, and each transistor configuration only has to be
defined once. You can configure the import to include only selected cells, see Cell
Selection. Geometry objects in the cells belong to different layers which represent
different steps in the manufacturing process. Geometry objects can also be assigned
data types that are sometimes used group together objects.

FILE EXTENSION
The file extension of the GDS-II format is usually .gds, and the ECAD import
requires it to be so, otherwise it cannot identify the file as a GDS-II file. If the file has
a different extension, it must be changed to .gds before importing the file.

SUPPORTED FEATURES
There are several record types in a GDS-II file that are of no interest in a geometry
import and these are ignored. There are also a few record types that actually could be
imported as a geometry object, but are also ignored. One such example is the Text
record, which produce a lot of mesh elements and is usually of no interest in a
simulation. Below is a list of the supported record types:

• Boundary: a closed polyline object

• Box: a box object

IMPORTING GDS-II FILES | 21

 • Path: a path with a thickness
• Sref: an instance of a cell that can be translated, rotated, scaled, and mirrored
• Aref: an n-by-m array of Sref objects
• Element: specification of a cell

Extruding Layers
The GDS-II format does not contain layer stackup information, such as thickness and
elevation, this has to be supplied before import to create a 3D structure by extrusion.
For extruding the layers, the import algorithm uses two methods. A special extrude
operation can automatically connect the imported layers to generate a single geometry
object after the import. The extruded layers correspond to domains in the resulting
object. If the geometry on the layers is such that the special extrude algorithm cannot
be used a second method is available that performs several extrude operations to
generate one geometry object per layer.

Several layers on the same height is common for semiconductor layouts, where the
fabrication process includes deposition followed by etching and then redepositing of a
different layer. To handle such a process scheme the method of separate extrusions for
each layer is necessary. After the import, you can do etching by removing a layer from
other objects, by using the Difference button from the Boolean Operations submenu on
the Geometry toolbar. You can find the various import options described under the
section Grouping of Geometries.

Import Settings for GDS-II Files

To add an Import node, from the Home or Geometry toolbar, click Import ( ). In the
Import section of the Settings window, set the type of file to import to ECAD file. You
can also skip this step as the type of the selected file is automatically recognized by the
code. Click Browse to locate the file to import, or enter the path to the file. Before
clicking the Import button configure the layer thickness, since the GDS-II files do not
include the necessary layer thickness and elevation information to construct a 3D
geometry.

For the length unit in the file μm is always displayed, since GDS-II files do not specify
a unit. To use the displayed unit as the length unit for the geometry sequence select
the Update geometry unit check box. The check box is selected by default if the Import
node is added as the first node in the geometry sequence.

22 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

CELL SELECTION
Data contained in GDS-II files is organized in hierarchical structure consisting of cells.
Select a cell name from the Cell to import list to limit the import to the selected cell
beneath the top cell in the hierarchy. Use the default choice in this list to import the
top cell. By default all subcells below the selected cell are imported. To import only
one sub-cell type, select the cell from the Filter by subcell list. The difference between
selecting a cell and filtering the top cell by the same cell is that the latter alternative
includes all instances of the selected cell, whereas the first case only includes the
selected instance of the cell.

GROUPING OF GEOMETRIES
The import operation can construct a single 3D geometry object with separate
domains for the layers and the various objects on the layers. You also have the option
to import each layer into its own geometry object, or to import each object from the
layers in the file into its own geometry object. To determine which method to use
select one of the available alternatives from the Grouping of geometries list:

• All. This alternative is available only in 3D. Use it to group all imported layers and
the object contained on those into a single geometry object. To construct the 3D
geometry object the import algorithm extrudes and combines all layers directly. The
imported objects, and layers become domains in the resulting geometry object.
• By layer. Use this alternative to combine the imported objects from each layer into
a single geometry object. Several geometry objects, one for each imported layer, are
output by the import.
• No grouping. Use this alternative to import each object from the layers into
individual geometry objects. To construct the geometry objects the import
performs a union of all the segments.

With the Type of import setting the extrusion of layers can be switched on or off. The
Full 3D option imports all layers with a thickness, as specified in the Layers to import
table. With the Metal shell option layers are imported as embedded surfaces in one
surface object (with grouping All), one surface object per layer (with grouping By
layer), or one surface object per imported object (with grouping No grouping).

CONTROLLING THE LAYER STACKUP

Since layer stackup information is not included in GDS-II files, the layers are assigned
a default zero thickness in the Layers to import table. These values can be edited before
importing the GDS-II file.

IMPORTING GDS-II FILES | 23

 Select the Manual control of elevations check box to position the layers in the z
direction. This check box is enabled when Grouping of geometries is set to By layer or
No grouping. When Manual control of elevations is not enabled, the z positions of the
layers are calculated automatically from the layer Thickness values.

Select the Show names from file check box to display the layer names as included in the
GDS-II file. This is useful after assigning new layer names that are used in the
COMSOL application.

If the datatype record is used in the file for grouping of objects on a layer you can select
the Split by datatype check box to treat geometry objects of the same datatype as a
separate layer. The parent layer is then split into as many separate layers as there are
datatypes defined. For example, a layer that contains objects that are grouped into two
datatypes will be split into two separate layers after selecting the check-box. The name
of the new layers is obtained by appending the datatype to the name of the parent layer.

Note: When the Split by datatype check box is selected the import will generate the
geometry only for those layers that contain objects with the datatype record set in the
file.

The Layers to import table contains the following columns:

• The Name column displays the layer names from the file. You can edit the entries to
give more descriptive names to the layers. The names that appear here are used to
name the resulting geometry objects and the selections when the Layer selections
check box is selected under Selections of Resulting Entities.
• The Name in file column is visible only when you select the Show names from file
check box above the table. The Name in file column always displays the layer name
from the GDS-II file, even after editing the Name column.
• The Type column declares the type of layers. GDS-II files do not specify layer types,
and the layer type is always set to Metal.
• The values in the Thickness column are used as the extrusion distances for the layers.
Layer elevations are also calculated based on these values when Manual control of
elevations is not enabled. The values in the layer Thickness column can always be
changed prior to import.

24 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

• The values in the Elevation column control the lower z positions of the layers. By
adjusting the values you can adjust the position of layers in the stackup. The
Elevation column is only displayed when Manual control of elevations is enabled.
• The Import column. Clear the check box for layers that do not need to be imported.

To save the layers table to a text file, click the Save to File button ( ) under the table.
To load layer table information from a text file, click the Load from File button ( )
under the table. Only the editable data in the table is affected when loading from file.
Layer data in the file that does not match the existing layers in the table is ignored. To
reset the thickness and elevation values in the table to the last read data from the GDS
file click the Reset Thickness and Elevation button ( ). To select the Import check box
in the table for all layers click the Select All Metal and Dielectric Layers for Import button
( ). Click the Clear All Imports button ( ) to clear all check boxes in the Import
column. To reload the layer information from the GDS file to the table click the Reload
Layers button ( ).

INTERIOR BOUNDARIES
By default the Keep interior boundaries check box is cleared to instruct the import to
remove all interior boundaries on the imported layers. This keeps the geometry
complexity to a minimum and can also make the import more robust in some
situations.

ARC RECOGNITION
Recognition of arcs and straight lines can significantly reduce the complexity of
imported layouts from GDS files. With the Recognize arcs set to Automatic, all polygon
chains that represent arcs are identified and replaced with more efficient curve objects,
and polygon segments that lie on a single straight line are recognized and joined into
a single straight segment.

With Recognize arcs set to Manual, the following settings will help you fine tune the
process of the merging of segments into a single circular arc:

• Minimum angle between segments: this parameter prohibits merging of two adjacent
polygon segments to a circular arc if the angle between them is less than the
provided number.
• Maximum angle between segments: this prohibits merging of two adjacent polygon
segments to a circular arc if the angle between them is greater than the provided
number.

IMPORTING GDS-II FILES | 25

 • Maximum curvature deviation: this prohibits merging a polygon segment to the
constructed circular arc if that would (relatively) change the curvature by more than
the provided number.
• Maximum length deviation: this prohibits merging of two adjacent polygon segments
to a circular arc if the relative difference between the lengths is greater than the
provided number.
• Maximum deviation from circle: the allowed maximum relative error between the
polygon segments and the constructed circular arc.

In manual arc recognition mode, the Find straight lines check box controls whether to
convert several polygon segments that lie on a straight line into a single straight
segment. This option uses the number in the Minimum angle between segments field to
determine if a group of segments lie on the same straight line.

REPAIR
Geometry repair is controlled via the Repair imported data check box and the Repair
tolerance list. Change the Repair tolerance from Automatic to Relative to manually
specify a tolerance in the Relative repair tolerance field. The geometry repair allows to
repair incorrectly drawn objects, such as polygons with (small) gaps.

If selected, the geometry repair is also active when combining the imported objects in
a cell or layer. By increasing the repair tolerance, problems with short edges arising
when combining the objects can sometimes be circumvented.

SELECTIONS OF RESULTING ENTITIES

If you want to make the resulting entities contribute to a cumulative selection, select
a cumulative selection from the Contribute to list (the default, None, gives no
contribution), or click the New button to create a new cumulative selection (see
Cumulative Selections in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual).

Select the Resulting objects selection check box to create predefined selections (for all
levels — objects, domains, boundaries, edges, and points — that are applicable) in
subsequent nodes in the geometry sequence. To also make all or one of the types of
resulting entities (domains, boundaries, edges, and points) that the resulting objects
consist of available as selections in all applicable selection lists (in physics and materials
settings, for example), choose an option from the Show in physics list: All levels, Domain
selection, Boundary selection, Edge selection, or Point selection. The default is Domain
selection, which is suitable for use with materials and physics defined in domains. For
use with a boundary condition, for example, choose Boundary selection. These

26 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

selections do not appear as separate selection nodes in the model tree. Select Off to not
make any selection available outside of the geometry sequence.

Select the Layer selections check box to create predefined selections — for domains,
boundaries, and objects — in subsequent nodes in the geometry sequence for each
imported layer in the GDS file. To also make all of one of the resulting entities that the
layers consist of available as selections in all applicable selection lists (in physics and
materials settings, for example), choose an option from the Show in physics list: All
levels, Domain selection, or Boundary selection. The default is All levels, which makes
predefined selections available on all applicable levels, suitable for use with materials
and physics defined in domains and boundaries. For use with a boundary condition,
for example, choose Boundary selection. These selections do not appear as separate
selection nodes in the model tree. Select Off to not make any selection available outside
of the geometry sequence.

Select the Cell selections check box to create predefined selections — for domains and
boundaries — in subsequent nodes in the geometry sequence for each imported cell
in the GDS file. To also make all of one of the resulting entities that the cells consist
of available as selections in all applicable selection lists (in physics and materials
settings, for example), choose an option from the Show in physics list: All levels, Domain
selection, or Boundary selection. The default is Domain selection, if available, which is
suitable for use with materials and physics defined in domains. For use with a boundary
condition, for example, choose Boundary selection. These selections do not appear as
separate selection nodes in the model tree. Select Off to not make any selection available
outside of the geometry sequence.

IMPORTING GDS-II FILES | 27

 Meshing an Imported Geometry
The imported geometry often consists of objects with very high aspect ratios, which
are hard to mesh with a tetrahedral mesh generator. As a result, it is often necessary to
use interactive meshing of the imported geometry in a by-layer fashion.

The following section describes this procedure in general terms.

This procedure assumes that the top and bottom layers are metal layers. All metal layers
can often be meshed using swept meshing, but dielectric layers usually cannot be
meshed that way because the source and target boundaries do not look the same. Begin
by meshing from the bottom or top layer, starting with a triangular or quadrilateral
boundary mesh. Then mesh layer by layer, where each metal layer gets a swept mesh,
and each dielectric layer (with vias) gets an unstructured tetrahedral mesh. When
starting with a quadrilateral boundary mesh the swept mesher generates hex elements,
and pyramid elements are automatically inserted when the tetrahedral mesher
generates the mesh for the dielectric layers. Finally, if there is a surrounding air domain
mesh it using the tetrahedral mesher.

Meshing in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual.

28 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

Troubleshooting ECAD Import
In this section:

• Tuning Import Settings

• Problems When Extruding Layers
• Problems with Several Geometry Objects

Tuning Import Settings

DELETE INTERIOR EDGES

A complex layout produces a large number of faces that can be hard to render. A simple
way to reduce the number of faces is to clear the Keep interior boundaries check box in
the ECAD import options. This removes all faces internal to the nets within a layer.

REMOVING FEATURES
Remove all features that are not important for the simulation. This is usually best to
do before the import in the ECAD software. When importing with Grouping of
geometries set to No grouping it is possible to manually delete certain objects after
import, but it is recommended to do this only for relatively simple geometries.

Problems When Extruding Layers

Most ECAD or EDA programs support design rule checks (DRC), which test the
entire layout and check that all features (vias, conductors, and components) are
separated according to certain rules. With such checks the layout is free from
overlapping vias and conductors touching other conductors or vias. This also ensures
that the special extrude functionality of the ECAD import works properly. If the file
contains such design-rule violations, the extrude operation might fail and issue an error
message stating that it could not handle the topology of the layout.

The best approach to handle such problems is to perform a DRC with your ECAD
software and produce new layout files. If this is not possible, import the layout in 2D
and try to identify the problematic features.

TROUBLESHOOTING ECAD IMPORT | 29

 Problems with Several Geometry Objects
If the special extrude functionality is not used, you get several geometry objects, for
example, one for each layer if By layer is selected from the Grouping of geometries list.
After a CAD import COMSOL Multiphysics is in the Geometry branch of the model
tree. When you continue to the Materials branch if the model tree or to a physics
interface node or the Mesh branch, the program tries to combine all the objects into
one geometry, and this operation might fail if the objects are very complex and have
high aspect rations. Resolve this by trying the option All in the Grouping of geometries
list. This creates one combined geometry object by using the special extrude
functionality, and with only one object this.

Another possibility is to use assemblies, because then COMSOL Multiphysics does not
have to combine the objects (parts). This is controlled by the Form Union/Assembly
node in the Geometry branch of the model tree. When using an assembly, use identity
pairs to connect the interfaces between the layers.

As a final option, do not import the dielectric layers. The import then leaves isolated
metal layers that have to connect with coupling variables.

30 | CHAPTER 2: IMPORTING ECAD FILES

 3

Programming and Command Reference

In this section you find detailed COMSOL API reference information for the
geometry features in the ECAD Import Module.

In this section:

• Commands

31
 Commands
Import of ECAD Files

PURPOSE
Import geometry objects from an ECAD file in 2D and 3D using the ECAD Import
Module

SYNTAX
model.geom(<tag>).feature().create(<ftag>,"Import");
model.geom(<tag>).feature(<ftag>).set(property,<value>);
model.geom(<tag>).feature(<ftag>).getType(property);
model.geom(<tag>).feature(<ftag>).getStringMatrix("layerprop");
model.geom(<tag>).feature(<ftag>).importData();

DESCRIPTION
Use model.geom(<tag>).feature().create(<ftag>,"Import") to create a
geometry import feature.

When the property filename is set to a file recognized as an ECAD file, the property
ecadtype is automatically initialized to either gds, ipc2581, or odb++. The following
properties are available:
TABLE 3-1: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS

PROPERTY VALUE DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

ecadtype gds | ipc2581 | unknown Type of ECAD file. A read

odb++ | unknown only property that is
automatically initialized from
the property filename.
elevation String[] Z-position of layers.
filename String File name.
fileunit String The length unit in file. Read
only.
grouping all | layer | none layer The grouping of the
imported layers, where all
returns one single object,
and layer gives you one
object per layer. In 2D, all
is the same as layer.

32 | CHAPTER 3: PROGRAMMING AND COMMAND REFERENCE

TABLE 3-1: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS

PROPERTY VALUE DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

height String[] Thickness of layers.

importlayer String[] The entries in the array
govern if the corresponding
layer is to be imported. Each
entry value is either "on" or
"off".
importtype full3d | shell full3d Determine if metal layers are
imported as solid or faces in
3D.
intbnd on | off off Keep interior boundaries on
layers.
layername String[] The user names for the
layers. Empty string implies
the name is taken from the
ECAD file.
manualelevation on | off off Manual control of elevations.
repairgeom on | off on Repair imported objects.
repairtol double 1e-5 Repair tolerance, relative to
(for size of union of imported
GDS) objects. Setting this property
1e-6 will automatically set
(for repairtoltype to relative
ODB++ and repairgeom to on.
and
IPC-2581
repairtoltype auto | relative auto Determine if repair
tolerance is set automatically
or manually by the repairtol
property.
selresult on | off off Create selections of all
resulting objects.
selresultshow all | obj | dom | The Show selections of resulting
bnd | edg | pnt | highest objects in physics, materials,
off available and so on, or in part
entity level instances. obj is not
except available in a component’s
obj; geometry. dom, bnd, and
usually edg are not available in all
dom. features.

COMMANDS | 33
 TABLE 3-1: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS

PROPERTY VALUE DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

sellayer on | off on Create layer selections.

sellayershow all | dom | bnd | all Show layer selections in
off physics, materials, and so on,
and in part instances (when
sellayer is on). This
property is not available in a
work plane’s Plane
Geometry.
updategeomunit Boolean true or The default is true if the
false feature is the first in the
geometry sequence, else
false. If true the geometry
sequence unit will be
updated to the fileunit value
when performing the
import.
contributeto String none Tag of cumulative selection
to contribute to.
createselection on | off off Create selections.
The file specified by filename can be of any of the following formats:
TABLE 3-2: SUPPORTED FILE FORMATS

FILE FORMAT FILE EXTENSIONS ECADTYPE

GDS .gds gds

IPC-2581 .cvg,.xml ipc2581
ODB++® .zip, .tar, .tgz, odb++
.tar.tgz

The imported objects are represented using COMSOL’s geometry modeler.

The property ecadtype determines which properties are available, see Table 3-2 for
supported types. The property ecadtype is read only, and it is automatically initialized
from the property filename, according to Table 3-2.

The property importlayer determines which layers to import. It is a string array of

the same length as the number of layers, holding the strings on or off. The property
is initialized with a valid default when setting the property filename.

To inspect available layers in a file, use the method

model.geom(<tag>).feature(<ftag>).getStringMatrix("layerprop");

34 | CHAPTER 3: PROGRAMMING AND COMMAND REFERENCE

It returns a String[][], with the same number of rows as the number of layers, that
contains information about each layer.

The property height determines the height of all layers. It is a string array of the same
length as the number of layers, holding string representations of the layer height, for
example 1[mm]. The property is initialized with a valid default when setting the
property filename.

The property manualelevation controls how imported layers are positioned in the Z
direction. When manualelevation is off, the imported layers are stacked on top of
each other with no gaps, so the Z positions are computed from the height property.
When manualelevation is on and grouping is set to layer or none, the imported
layers are positioned in the Z direction as specified by the elevation property. To
switch to manual control of elevations it is recommended to first set
manualelevation to on, then set the values for the height and elevation
properties.

The property elevation determines the Z-position of all layers. It is a string array of
the same length as the number of layers, holding string representations of the layer
elevation. The property is initialized with a valid default on these occasions:

• when setting the property filename,

• when setting the property manualelevation to off,
• when manualelevation is off, and the value of the height property is changed,
• when manualelevation is off, and the value of the importtype property is
changed.

If selresult is set to on, a selection is created for all resulting entities of each type
(object, domain, boundary, edge, and point), for use in the geometry sequence. To
access the object selection, use model.geom(<tag>).selection(<ftag>), where
<tag> is the geometry tag and <ftag> is the feature tag. To access the other selections,
use model.geom(<tag>).selection(<ftag>.<lvl>), where <tag> is the geometry
tag, <ftag> is the feature tag, and <lvl> is one of dom, bnd, edg, or pnt. If, in
addition, selresultshow is set to a value other than off, all or some of these
selections appear for use outside the geometry sequence. To access these selections, use
model.selection(<tag>_<ftag>_<lvl>), where <tag> is the geometry tag,
<ftag> is the feature tag, and <lvl> is one of dom, bnd, edg, or pnt.

If sellayer is set to on, a selection is created for all resulting entities of the types
object, domain, and boundary, of each layer, for use in the geometry sequence. To
access the object selections, use model.geom(<tag>).selection(<ftag>_<otag>),

COMMANDS | 35
 where <otag> is a tag derived from the name of the imported layer. <otag> is derived
by replacing space and dot characters with underscore characters and removing other
characters that are not numbers or uppercase or lowercase English characters (A–Z and
a–z). Additionally, if required to make <otag> unique, _<m> is appended, where <m>
is an integer. To access the other selections, use
model.geom(<tag>).selection(<ftag>_<otag>.dom) or
model.geom(<tag>).selection(<ftag>_<otag>.bnd), where <otag> is a tag
derived from the name of the imported layer. If, in addition, sellayershow is set to a
value other than off, all or some of these selections appear for use outside the
geometry sequence.

To access these selections, use model.selection(<tag>_<ftag>_<otag>_dom) or

model.selection(<tag>_<ftag>_<otag>_bnd), where <otag> is a tag derived
from the name of the imported layer.

IMPORT OF GDS FILES

If the file type is GDS, you can create additional selections for each imported cell by
using the properties selcell and selcellshow.

Properties that are only available when ecadtype is gds.

TABLE 3-3: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS FOR GDS

PROPERTY NAME PROPERTY DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

VALUE

arcdistancetol double 0.3 Tolerance for segment length

deviation.
arcmaxangle double 36 Maximum angle for segments.
arcminangle double 3.6 Minimum angle for segments to
part of an arc.
arcmaxcircledev double 1e-3 Maximum allowed point deviation
from a circle, relative to the circle
radius.
arcradiustol double 0.4 Tolerance for arc curvature.
cell String empty Name of cell to import. The top
cell is imported by default.
cellfilter String empty Name of cell to include. Leave
empty to include all cells below
the cell selected by the cell
property.
findarcs auto | auto Control arc recognition.
manual | off

36 | CHAPTER 3: PROGRAMMING AND COMMAND REFERENCE

TABLE 3-3: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS FOR GDS

PROPERTY NAME PROPERTY DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

VALUE

findlines on | off on Turn on straight line recognition.

Only available when findarcs is
manual.
selcell on | off off Create cell selections.
selcellshow all | dom | dom Show cell selections in physics,
bnd | off materials, and so on, and in part
instances (when selcell is on).
This property is not available in a
work plane’s Plane Geometry.
splitbydatatype on | off off Treat datatypes as separate layers
When findarcs is auto or manual, line segments are combined to form arcs. If
findarcs is manual, the properties arcdistancetol, arcradiustol, arcminangle,
arcmaxangle, and findlines can be used to tune the arc recognition algorithm,
otherwise the algorithm tries to determine optimal parameters.

IMPORT OF ODB++ AND IPC-2581 FILES

Properties that are only available when ecadtype is ipc2581, odb++.
TABLE 3-4: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS FOR IPC-2581 AND ODB++

PROPERTY NAME PROPERTY DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

VALUE

dielectric on | off on Import dielectric regions

ignorelinewidth on | off off Import line symbols as curve
objects by ignoring the line width
during import
ignoreoffset double -0.1[mm] Offset used when
ignoreoutsideboard is on.
The file unit is used if no unit is
specified.
ignoreoutsideboard on | off off Ignore objects for which the
defining points fall outside the
board boundary incremented
with the offset defined by
ignoreoffset
ignoretext on | off on Ignore objects marked as text in
the files
selnetkeepbnd on | off empty Keep boundary net selections
selnetkeepdom on | off empty Keep domain net selections

COMMANDS | 37
 TABLE 3-4: VALID PROPERTY/VALUE PAIRS FOR IPC-2581 AND ODB++

PROPERTY NAME PROPERTY DEFAULT DESCRIPTION

VALUE

selnetnamebnd String[] empty Names of boundary net

selections (read-only)
selnetnamedom String[] empty Names of domain net selections
(read-only)
selnettagbnd String[] empty Tags of boundary net selections
(read-only, hidden in GUI)
selnettagdom String[] empty Tags of domain net selections
(read-only, hidden in GUI)
selnetcontributeto String[] empty Tags of cumulative selection to
bnd contribute to (or none to not
contribute), for boundary net
selections
selnetcontributeto String[] empty Tags of cumulative selection to
dom contribute to (or none to not
contribute), for domain net
selections
selnetshowbnd on | off empty Show boundary net selections in
physics, materials, and so on; in
part instances; or in 3D from a
plane geometry
selnetshowdom on | off empty Show domain net selections in
physics, materials, and so on; in
part instances; or in 3D from a
plane geometry
You can use the net selection tag as a key when setting array elements in the other
properties by using set(property,<ntag>, value), where <ntag> is a tag derived
from the name of the net selection.

To access net selections, use model.selection(<tag>_<ftag>_<ntag>_dom) or

model.selection(<tag>_<ftag>_<ntag>_bnd), where <ntag> is the tag of the net
selection.

38 | CHAPTER 3: PROGRAMMING AND COMMAND REFERENCE