Metalization Properties dialog box
Selecting Modify => Metal Properties opens the Metalization Properties dialog box which allows you to modify the metal type, fill type and subsection size associated with the selected polygon(s). This command is only enabled when at least one metal polygon is selected in your circuit.
NOTE: If multiple objects are selected which have different parameters, the entry ''Mixed'' appears in the pertinent text entry box. Changes made in the Properties dialog boxes will affect the parameters of all selected polygons or ports.
Metal field: Choose a metal type from the drop list in the Metal field. Changing the metalization changes only the metalization loss. The polygon is still on the same physical level; i.e., it is still between the same two layers of dielectric.
When the Project Editor starts, it initially only has one metal type, ''Lossless''. If you have not set up additional metal types in the Circuit => Metal Types menu, then the pull-down menu only presents the one choice of ''Lossless”. To add new metal types, see Circuit => Metal Types.
Fill Type field: The ”fill type” of a polygon is defined as the type of subsection used by em at the edges of a polygon. Choose a fill type from the drop list in the Fill Type field. The three options in the drop list are defined as follows:
Staircase Provides the best rectangular fit to the metalization edge. Staircase subsections are used in the middle of a polygon for all choices. The Project Editor defaults to ”staircase” edge fill for all new metal structures.
Diagonal Allows triangular as well as rectangular subsections. This provides a better fit to diagonal edges but requires more analysis time. For a more detailed explanation see ''A Coupled Open-Miter with Diagonal Fill'' in the Sonnet User's Guide.
Conformal This applies conformal meshing to the selected polygon(s). This allows for larger conformal sections which model curved edges more efficiently. For more information on conformal meshing, see What is conformal mesh?.
Subsection Size: Edit the X Min, X Max, Y Min and Y Max text entry boxes to set the subsectioning for the polygon(s). First time users should leave the numbers set to the default values (X Min 1, Y Min 1, X Max 100, Y Max 100). For more details, refer to the ''Subsectioning'' chapter in the Sonnet User's Guide. These controls are disabled if the fill type is Conformal.
Edge Meshing: Select On from the drop list to turn on edge meshing for the selected polygon(s). When using the Edge Mesh option, all Manhattan polygons (no diagonal edges) are treated as if they were non-Manhattan polygons. In other words, the edge subsections are always one cell wide regardless of X Min or Y Min. When used in conjunction with large X Min or Y Min values, this option can be very useful in reducing the number of subsections but still maintaining the edge singularity. This is very often a good compromise between accuracy and speed. This control is disabled if the fill type is Conformal
Conformal Mesh Subsectioning Control
Maximum Length: If you wish to set a maximum length for a conformal section, click on the Maximum Length checkbox and enter the desired length in the text entry box to the right. This is useful in reducing the size of your conformal sections to ensure higher accuracy. The default length of a conformal section is 1/20 of the wavelength of the subsectioning frequency.
