How do I define metal loss?

Important Concepts - Metal Types

Loss in Sonnet is defined by the metal types that you use in your circuit. You are allowed to specify and use an unlimited number of metal types in Sonnet. Multiple metal types may be used on any level of a Sonnet project and may be applied to the top or bottom metal of the six-sided enclosure. The sides of the box are modeled as Lossless metal.

Defining metal loss in your circuit is a two step process:

1.   Define a metal type. You can either define a metal type using the metal library or you can define a metal type by manually entering the loss parameters.

2.   Assign the metal type to polygon(s), the top cover, or the ground (bottom of box). To assign a metal type see How do I change the loss of an existing metal polygon?. To change the loss of the top cover or ground, see How do I change the loss of the top cover or ground?

There is a detailed discussion of metal loss in the "Metalization and Dielectric Layer Loss" in the Sonnet User's Guide. The manuals are available on your system in PDF format by clicking on the Manuals button on the Sonnet task bar or by selecting Help => Manuals from the main menu of any Sonnet application. There is also a paper by Dr. James Rautio, president and founder of Sonnet Software, available on our web site which contains a detailed discussion of metal loss.