Calculation of the electromagnetic field in a multimode microwave cavity for sintering planar-perovskite SOFC ceramics

In the context of developing a full scope numerical simulation of microwave sintering, a more precise and fundamentally based method of calculating the electromagnetic field strengths was sought. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method was adopted and implemented for this purpose. The temporal nature of the electromagnetic fields was studied to ensure stable algorithms for determining root mean square values for field strengths. Further, a method was outlined whereby the multimode nature of a cavity can be determined with quality parameters for the source frequency. A example calculation is given for lanthanum nickelate, a potential solid oxide fuel cell cathode material with a complex microwave response, arising from its significant dielectric and magnetic loss properties.