C3DSTAR: A 3D wiring capacitance calculator

Abstract

A description is given of C3DSTAR, a capacitance program for three-dimensional configurations of conductors and dielectrics, that incorporates a hybrid integral-equation solution of the capacitance problem. The hybrid method combines the use of multilayer Green's function treatment of the infinite planar dielectric interfaces with an explicit treatment of the bound charge at finite and/or irregular dielectric interfaces. The approach described here differs from previous hybrid integral equation methods in that the free charge density is the primary unknown, rather than the total charge density. This allows early elimination of numerically induced asymmetry in the capacitance matrix and results in more accurate capacitive values.