Computational Electromagnetics • GHz to Sub-THz

EM simulation and co-design that de-risks RF hardware.

Explore Technical Scope ↓
Simulation-Driven Synthesis • Measured Certainty

High-frequency circuits and antenna platforms fail when parasitic interactions are discovered on the test bench. Nikola RF delivers AAA full-wave 3D electromagnetic simulation and custom co-design services — utilizing 52 verified reference antenna architectures and automated solvers (Ansys HFSS, CST Studio Suite, Altair Feko) to verify custom antenna arrays, couplers, SIW transitions, and installed platform structures before fabrication.

Core Verification Disciplines
Full-Wave 3D FEM

Modal & eigenmode field solvers for radiation patterns, array mutual coupling, and radome dielectric loading.

Passive Synthesis

Microstrip, GCPW, and SIW cavity filters, broadband Wilkinson dividers, and low-loss coax-to-PCB launches.

De-Risked Handoff

First-pass correlation via 50 Ω de-embedded Touchstone matrices and verified CAD clearance rules.

Tooling Interoperability

Industry-Standard EDA & EM Solvers

Simulations, analytical models, and layout exports validated for seamless import into leading RF engineering platforms.

Ansys HFSS
Ansys HFSS
High Frequency Structure Simulator
3D Full-Wave FEM & Modal Solver
Keysight Technologies
Keysight Technologies
PathWave ADS & Genesys
Harmonic Balance & S-Parameter Synthesis
CST Studio Suite
CST Studio Suite
Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA
Time-Domain & Eigenmode EM Solvers
Siemens FEKO
Siemens FEKO
Simcenter 3D Electromagnetics
Method of Moments & Asymptotic MLFMM
Altium Designer
Altium Designer
High-Speed RF PCB Layout
Microstrip Routing & Gerber / ODB++
Ansys HFSS
Ansys HFSS
High Frequency Structure Simulator
3D Full-Wave FEM & Modal Solver
Keysight Technologies
Keysight Technologies
PathWave ADS & Genesys
Harmonic Balance & S-Parameter Synthesis
CST Studio Suite
CST Studio Suite
Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA
Time-Domain & Eigenmode EM Solvers
Siemens FEKO
Siemens FEKO
Simcenter 3D Electromagnetics
Method of Moments & Asymptotic MLFMM
Altium Designer
Altium Designer
High-Speed RF PCB Layout
Microstrip Routing & Gerber / ODB++
Ansys HFSS
Ansys HFSS
High Frequency Structure Simulator
3D Full-Wave FEM & Modal Solver
Keysight Technologies
Keysight Technologies
PathWave ADS & Genesys
Harmonic Balance & S-Parameter Synthesis
CST Studio Suite
CST Studio Suite
Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA
Time-Domain & Eigenmode EM Solvers
Siemens FEKO
Siemens FEKO
Simcenter 3D Electromagnetics
Method of Moments & Asymptotic MLFMM
Altium Designer
Altium Designer
High-Speed RF PCB Layout
Microstrip Routing & Gerber / ODB++
Ansys HFSS
Ansys HFSS
High Frequency Structure Simulator
3D Full-Wave FEM & Modal Solver
Keysight Technologies
Keysight Technologies
PathWave ADS & Genesys
Harmonic Balance & S-Parameter Synthesis
CST Studio Suite
CST Studio Suite
Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA
Time-Domain & Eigenmode EM Solvers
Siemens FEKO
Siemens FEKO
Simcenter 3D Electromagnetics
Method of Moments & Asymptotic MLFMM
Altium Designer
Altium Designer
High-Speed RF PCB Layout
Microstrip Routing & Gerber / ODB++
Reference Designs & Examples • AAA Custom EM Simulation Services

Antenna Synthesis & Array Beamforming

The 52 models cataloged across our reference library represent validated baseline examples and demonstration benchmarks. Nikola RF delivers AAA full-wave 3D computational electromagnetic simulations and tailored co-design in Ansys HFSS, CST Studio Suite, and Altair Feko to synthesize and de-risk your proprietary antenna hardware before tooling.

Planar Monopoles & Vivaldi Notches

Ultra-wideband tapered slot antennas and compact ground-clearance radiators for IoT, pulse radar, and cellular bands with optimized group delay flatness.

APPLICATIONEmbedded & UWB
FREQUENCY1.0 – 18.0 GHz
DETAILSTapered Slot
Read specification

Microstrip & Aperture Arrays

Active element pattern extraction, scan blindness mitigation, mutual coupling suppression (< -25 dB), and true-time-delay corporate feeds.

APPLICATIONPhased Radar & Satcom
FREQUENCYX, Ku & Ka Bands
DETAILSPhased Array
Read specification

Dielectric Resonators & Horns

High-efficiency DRA elements, corrugated feed horns, and full 3D radome transmission loss calculation with aerodynamic boresight error minimization.

APPLICATIONHigh-Gain & Radomes
EFFICIENCY> 92% Radiation Eff
DETAILSDielectric Horn
Read specification

Passive Microwave Components

Passive structures determine front-end insertion loss, port match, and harmonic rejection. We optimize high-Q planar filtering, power distribution, and low-loss routing using full-wave electrodynamics.

Explore passive devices

Power Division & Combining

Wilkinson equal/unequal power splitters, resistive star splitters, 90° branch-line hybrids, 180° rat-race rings, and Lange couplers.

ISOLATION> 25 dB Port-to-Port
TOPOLOGYWilkinson & Hybrids
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Signal Routing & Attenuation

Microstrip directional couplers, symmetric Pi/Tee pads, multi-bit digital step attenuators, ferrite circulators, and microstrip isolators.

LOSS< 0.35 dB Mainline
TOPOLOGYDirectional & Pads
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Filtering & Selection

Stepped-impedance low-pass filters, interdigital bandpass filters, compact hairpin resonators, transmission line notch stubs, and junction diplexers.

REJECTION> 45 dB Out-of-Band
TOPOLOGYInterdigital & Hairpin
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Impedance Matching

Quarter-wave impedance transformers, broadband planar baluns, DC bias tees, RF DC block capacitors, and precision 50 Ω RF terminations.

MATCHINGVSWR < 1.15:1
TOPOLOGYBaluns & Transformers
Read specification

Passive Microwave Component Directory

Review closed-form scattering matrices [S], analytical equations, substrate recommendations, and initiate HFSS / ADS simulation scopes.

Open component directory
Electrodynamic Simulation Solvers • Multi-Suite Lab

Electromagnetic Simulation Solvers

Replacing physical cut-and-try with deterministic computational electrodynamics. We deliver turnkey contract modeling, multi-solver verification, and CAD synthesis across Ansys HFSS, CST Studio Suite, Siemens Simcenter FEKO, and Keysight PathWave ADS / RFPro.

Open Complete Solvers Engineering Guide
Ansys, Inc.Turnkey Contract Simulation

Ansys HFSS & Maxwell

Industry gold standard for 3D full-wave volumetric FEM, packaging, and installed SBR+ radar.

Ansys HFSS delivers finite element frequency-domain electrodynamics with automated adaptive mesh refinement that terminates only when S-parameter convergence thresholds are strictly satisfied.

Supported Numerical Engines
Finite Element Method (FEM)Shooting & Bouncing Rays (SBR+)HFSS-IE (MoM)Maxwell Electromechanics
Core Technical Strengths
Unmatched modal and terminal S-parameter precision for high-Q structures
Automated PyAEDT Python API scripting for design automation and parametric sweeps
Hybrid FEM-SBR+ linking for installed antenna performance on naval and aircraft platforms
Eigenmode solver for cavity filters, dielectric resonators, and bandgap metamaterials
MESH FORMULATIONConformal 3D Tetrahedral with adaptive h-refinement and curvilinear element order selection.
FREQUENCY BANDDC to 300+ GHz (Sub-THz)
ELECTRICAL SCALEFrom sub-micron semiconductor vias up to 10,000λ full-scale aerospace airframes.
Contract Modeling Services

Ansys HFSS Contract Engineering Services

We build fully parameterized, production-ready .aedt workspaces with exposed variables, analytical equation drivers, and convergence-verified boundary setups.

Audit-Ready Project Deliverables:
•Uncompiled native .aedt project files with complete setup history
•Adaptive pass convergence logs proving Delta-S < 0.008 stability
•Multi-port Touchstone .sNp files de-embedded to reference planes
•Custom headless PyAEDT Python automation scripts for continuous integration
Solver-Agnostic Engineering Architecture

How Nikola RF Selects the Right Solver for Your Hardware

We do not force complex planar circuits into slow 3D FEM meshes, nor do we run surface MoM on closed cavity resonators. We select the mathematically exact solver—or hybrid co-simulation—to minimize RAM, accelerate convergence, and guarantee sub-1% empirical correlation.

Read Full Solvers Guide

Publication-to-HFSS CAD Pipeline

Evaluating academic papers or patent disclosures usually stalls at CAD setup. We programmatically extract dimensional equations and coordinate matrices to deliver fully parameterized, variable-driven .aedt workspaces.

Fully variable-driven parametric dimensions (W₁, L₂, d, p) for instant sweeps
Substrate stackup translation to standard commercial laminates
Calibrated waveport de-embedding and radiation boundary setup
pipeline/pyaedt_synthesis.pyPython 3.10 • Headless AEDT 2024
import pyaedtfrom pyaedt import Hfss# Initialize headless solver instance with material overrideshfss = Hfss(specified_version="2024.1", designname="IEEE_APS_UWB_Radiator") hfss.change_material_override(True)# Parametric geometry binding extracted from publicationvariables = {"flare_angle": "48.5deg","taper_rate": 0.125,"sub_thick": "0.787mm",   # Rogers RT/duroid 5880"feed_gap": "0.32mm"}for var, val in variables.items(): hfss[var] = val[+] Synthesizing 3D analytical curve spline... Done.[+] Assigning multi-frequency adaptive mesh (1.0 to 12.0 GHz)... Done.[+] Converged: Delta S < 0.007 at Pass 8. Exporting .s2p touchstone.

Standards & Compliance

Every electromagnetic simulation model, antenna array, and passive microwave component is synthesized and validated in accordance with rigorous DoD military specifications, aerospace environmental endurance, and IPC/IEEE high-frequency commercial standards.

Defense & Aerospace Specifications

DoD, airborne avionics & mission-critical RF payloads

MIL-SPEC / DO-160
MIL-STD-461GEMC / EMI Compliance

Radiated & conducted emissions (RE102: 10 kHz to 18 GHz, CE102) and susceptibility modeling (RS103 up to 200 V/m, CS114 RF injection). Enclosure cavity resonance damping and slot-aperture leakage mitigation.

MIL-STD-810H & RTCA DO-160GEnvironmental Endurance

Thermal envelope survivability (-55°C to +125°C), random missile vibration profiles (Method 514.8), mechanical shock, low-pressure altitude breakdown, and airborne RF susceptibility (DO-160G Sec 20/21).

MIL-PRF-39012 & MIL-PRF-55342RF Interconnects & Passives

Coaxial connector qualification (SMA, 2.92mm, SMPM) with calibrated TDR step discontinuities; high-power thin-film terminations and chip attenuator derating curves under sustained CW/pulsed dissipation.

MIL-STD-202G & MIL-STD-883Component Reliability Tests

Thermal shock cycling (Method 107), moisture resistance (Method 106), solderability, hermetic packaging seal verification, and dielectric withstanding voltage (DWV) modeling.

Commercial & Telecom Standards

High-frequency PCB, 5G/6G, IEEE & space telemetry

IPC / IEEE / 3GPP
IPC-6018D & IPC-6012E Class 3/3AMicrowave Rigid PCBs

Aerospace-grade microwave PCB fabrication; etch tolerance controls (±12 µm trace width accuracy), copper surface roughness (Huray & Hammerstad profiles), and ENIG/ENEPIG plating loss on Rogers RT/duroid® and PTFE substrates.

IEEE Std 370 & IEEE Std 149De-Embedding & Antenna Testing

Test fixture de-embedding up to 110 GHz (2X-Thru / TRL); strict mathematical causality and passivity enforcement on exported .sNp Touchstone files, and IEEE 149 anechoic far-field antenna measurement standards.

3GPP TS 38.101 & TS 38.1415G NR FR1 & FR2 mmWave

User Equipment (UE) & Base Station (BS) RF compliance — Error Vector Magnitude (EVM), Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR), spectrum emission masks, and Over-The-Air (OTA) spherical EIRP cumulative distribution (CDFs).

FCC Part 15 / 25 & ETSI EN 301 489Spectrum & Satellite Masks

Satellite earth station mask compliance, unintentional radiator harmonic suppression, point-to-point microwave link coexistence, and ETSI radio spectrum efficiency requirements.

Complete Deliverables Package

Audit-Ready Engineering Assets Handed Off

Every simulation, antenna array, and passive microwave component is packaged as an uncompiled, fully parameterized engineering asset for immediate CAD and fabrication integration.

Native Solver Archives

Clean, uncompiled .aedt and .wrk workspaces with parameterized coordinate systems and complete setup trees.

FORMAT.aedt & .wrk
HIERARCHYParametric Vars
Request archive specs

De-Embedded Touchstone

Multi-port .sNp network parameter matrices with IEEE 370 causality & passivity enforcement for immediate drop-in cascade simulation.

STANDARDIEEE Std 370
FORMATTouchstone .sNp
Open RF converter

PCB Layout Directives

Exact dimensional guidelines for CAD engineers: via-fence pitch, coplanar ground gaps, antipad clearances, and keep-out zones under IPC-6018D Class 3 rules.

STANDARDSIPC-6018D Cl 3
TOLERANCE±12 µm Etch
Inspect substrate rules

Verification Report

Standardized audit documentation with Cartesian return loss (S₁₁), Smith charts, 2D/3D radiation patterns, phase center stability, and MIL-STD compliance summaries.

FORMATPDF & Datasets
AUDIT LEVELMIL-STD Compliant
Initiate review
06 • Secure Intake & Bilateral NDA

Initiate Project Scope & NDA

We treat client intellectual property with military-grade rigor. Prior to receiving proprietary disclosure files, patent drafts, or trade secret geometries, we execute standard bilateral NDAs.

Bilateral NDA Standard

Mutual non-disclosure executed before file transmission.

Isolated On-Prem Compute

Simulations run on dedicated air-gapped workstations.

Clean Room Protocol

Full audit trail for IP litigation and patent defense.

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Computational Electromagnetics • Microwave Co-Design • Strict Engineering Confidentiality