Electroplating is commonly used for surface finishing due to its effectiveness across the automotive, electronics, corrosion protection, aerospace, and defense industries. Since WWII, the number of patents claiming to achieve “perfect plating” has increased exponentially. The focus of the narrative surrounding electrochemical plating has also shifted from complex chemical reactions toward perfecting operating conditions. In this blog post, we show how to achieve smoother metal surfaces during reverse pulse plating (RPP) using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and add-on Electrodeposition Module.

To help understand the complicated universe we live in, we have compartmentalized physics phenomena into distinct disciplinary specializations. However, natural and engineering problems often cross these utilitarian borders. A major strength of the COMSOL Multiphysics® software is the ease with which such cross-disciplinary interactions, which we refer to as multiphysics interactions, can be accounted for. The COMSOL® software provides a plethora of built-in multiphysics couplings and even enables users to implement their own physics couplings.

Even though the first man-made light source used thermal radiation, the effect wasn’t fully understood until the discovery of quantum mechanics. Nowadays, it’s a well-known physics concept. In this blog post, we discuss surface-to-surface radiation theory for the so-called gray body, how to implement it in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, and an interesting use of this theory.

One of the core strengths of the COMSOL Multiphysics® software is the ability to easily define loads and constraints that move over time. There are actually several different ways in which this can be done, all within the core functionality of the software. In today’s blog post, we will guide you through three of these approaches.

Have you ever wanted to add a certain boundary or domain condition to a physics problem but couldn’t find a built-in feature? Today, we will show you how to implement nonstandard constraints using the so-called weak contributions. Weak contributions are, in fact, what the software internally uses to apply the built-in domain and boundary conditions. They provide a flexible and physics-independent way to extend the applicability of the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Material deposition is an essential ingredient in certain manufacturing processes, including welding and additive manufacturing. Say that you want to simulate such a manufacturing process. A challenge that you will face during the simulation is depositing material in a way that introduces it in a state of zero stress. Here, we look at the Activation functionality in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and how it facilitates the simulation of material deposition.

Modern optical systems are often required to operate in harsh environments, including high altitudes, space, underwater, and in laser and nuclear facilities. Such optical systems are subjected to structural loads and extreme temperatures. The most accurate way to fully capture these environmental effects is through numerical simulation via a structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis. STOP analysis is the quintessential multiphysics problem. In this blog post, we show how to combine structural, thermal, and optical effects using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

The effect of quantum tunneling can be important if the thickness of the energy barrier for the charge carrier is comparable to or smaller than the evanescent decay length. In order to account for this effect, we can use the WKB Tunneling Model feature, available in the Semiconductor Module as of version 5.4 of the COMSOL® software, for the heterojunction and Schottky contact boundary conditions. Here, we demonstrate their usage using a benchmark model.

The Schrödinger-Poisson Equation multiphysics interface simulates systems with quantum-confined charge carriers, such as quantum wells, wires, and dots. Here, we examine a benchmark model of a GaAs nanowire to demonstrate how to use this feature in the Semiconductor Module, an add-on product to the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Using the Numeric Port feature, available in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software with the add-on RF Module, the mode of a port with an arbitrary shape can be computed numerically via a boundary mode analysis. By adding a Frequency Domain or an Adaptive Frequency Sweep study, the S-Parameter and Smith plots can be obtained. The numeric port also enables us to calculate the characteristic impedance of transmission lines operating in the transverse electromagnetic (TEM) mode.