Advanced multi-solver domain-decomposition (MS-DD) electromagnetic (EM) CAD techniques, which hybridize mode-matching (MM) / finite-element (FE) / methodof-moment (MoM) / finite-element-boundary-integral (FE-BI) / physical theory of diffraction (PTD), physical optics (PO), and shooting-and-bouncing-ray (SBR) methods, are presented for the fast rigorous optimization of arbitrary, user-defined antenna structures, including large antennas and arrays. The advantage – beyond very high calculation speed – is that accurate antenna optimizations to desired specifications can be directly achieved on the EM level immediately together with complete feed networks, enabling in this way the instantaneous optimization towards the last tenth of a dB, without the common need for time consuming data transfers. Typical calculation times for an optimization iteration are in the order of a couple of seconds, .g. for body-of-revolution (BOR) type of antennas or smaller antennas, like substrate integrated
waveguide (SIW) antennas, including feeds, up to a few hundreds of seconds, e.g. for large dual-offset reflector antennas, reflect-arrays, antennas with radomes, or large slotarrays, including feed networks, on standard quad-core PCs without additional hardware acceleration means.
