On solving three-dimensional electrostatic field distribution by multigrid method

A highly efficient numerical algorithm using the multigrid method (MGM) is introduced to solve a three-dimensional (3-D) field distribution. Taking advantage of the restriction and prolongation in MGM computation, a more accurate field distribution can be acquired rapidly. According to the MGM algorithm, a 3-D program is accomplished, which can solve the field distributions in electron optical systems for various electrostatic lenses. The 3-D field distribution in an electrostatic concentric spherical model is tested with the MGM algorithm and with an algorithm based on the finite difference method (FDM). Comparing these two results in terms of computational efficiency and computational accuracy, it appears that MGM is superior to FDM, which is now used the most in field computations. This paper shows that the 3-D field computation using MGM greatly improves the computational efficiency of field distributions in electron optical systems and shortens the computational time.