Patent ID: 8285526

Claim:
A method for simulating a droplet of a fluid on a substrate, comprising: providing a hardware data processing unit implementing the following steps: representing a height of the droplet above the substrate as a height function, said height function being a function of time and space, said height function determining a contact line of the droplet with the substrate; using a height evolution equation to represent how the height function varies over time including the effect of said contact line moving; evaluating the height function at a first point in space and a first point in time; determining an extrapolated height value at the first point in time and a second point in space based on the height function at the first point in space and the first point in time, and based on the contact line at the first point in time, wherein the extrapolated height value at the second point in space is below the surface of the substrate; and using the height evolution equation to calculate the height function at a second point in time based upon the extrapolated height value at the first point in time.