Multi Physics Modeling of Me Ms

Multiphysics Modeling of MEMS
James Ransley, Ph.D. Yeswanth Rao

Senior Consultant Senior Applications Engineer
jransley@veryst.com yeswanth.rao@comsol.com
contact@veryst.com
www.veryst.com Veryst Engineering 2/18/2021
Introduction to Veryst Engineering
www.veryst.com 2/18/2021 2
Versyt Engineering
▪ Experts in simulation and analysis with a focus
on coupled and nonlinear systems
▪ Specific expertise in:
▪ Polymer materials
▪ Adhesives
▪ Finite element analysis
▪ Multiphysics modeling
▪ CFD / Microfluidics
▪ System modeling
▪ Consulting in several major finite element
packages – including COMSOL Multiphysics®
Veryst Engineering: Sensors and Actuators
James Ransley Nagi Elabbasi Matt Hancock Andrew Spann Alireza Kermani Mark Oliver Stuart Brown
(Sensors and (Multiphysics) (Microfluidics) (Lab on a Chip (Fluids, Medical (Adhesives and (previously MIT
Actuators) /Bioreactors) Devices, FDA) Bonding) faculty in MEMS)
▪ Veryst has a significant team of consultants with expertise in MEMS, sensors

and actuators and related fields
▪ Engineers with dedicated expertise in MEMS, packaging (esp. adhesives) &
microfluidics
Versyt Engineering: Experience in MEMS
▪ Automation of MEMS simulations, including layout
verification
▪ Simulation of MEMS devices, especially
electrostatic actuators
▪ Package stresses and package interactions
▪ Thermal Stresses
▪ Piezoelectric devices
▪ Acoustic Devices
▪ Modeling of Stiction
▪ Other mechatronic systems, e.g. soft robotics
▪ Drop testing
Market for Piezoelectric Devices
MEMS Market
▪ MEMS Devices represent a $12 bn market* with a wide range of applications
Future (fingerprint,
Inkjet heads
speakers)…
7%
RF MEMS
22%
Pressure Sensors
14%
Oscillators
1%
Microphones
9%
Environmental MEMS
1%
Microfluidics
1%
Accelerometers
PIR & Thermopiles 9%
1%
Micorbolometers Optical MEMS
6% 5% Gyroscopes
Digital compass 11%
Inertial combos 1%
7%
*Source: Estimate of market size in 2019, Yole Development
†Data based on 2019 market research by Yole Development
Scaling in MEMS Devices
▪ Scaling plays an important role in enabling MEMS technology
Type of Forces Length
Scaling
Inertial Forces L3 Scaling of other phenomena w.r.t. inertial forces is critical
Spring Constant L1
Stiffer structures with higher resonant frequencies
Resonant Frequency L-1
Electrostatic Force L0 Electrostatic actuators are effective and common

(parallel plates, V constant)
Magnetic Force L4
(parallel wires, J constant) Magnetic actuators are rarely used
Piezoelectric Force L1 Piezoelectric devices scale well
Thermal Force L2
Thermal actuators are faster in the microscale
Thermal Time Const. L2
Thin Film Damping Force L1 Thin film damping often important
Fundamentally Multiphysics
Electric Circuits
Electrostatics Piezoelectric Electric Currents

materials Piezoresistivity
Electrostatic
Actuators Structural
Mechanics Thermal
Fluid damping Thermal Actuators
Stresses
Fluid Mechanics
Thermoelastic Heat Transfer
Acoustic Damping
emission
Acoustics
Acoustic fields in a Thermoacoustics
background flow
COMSOL: A Great Tool for MEMS Simulation
▪ COMSOL is a fully integrated package built
Simple setup of user defined
functions and equations from the ground up on a single platform
Integrated geometry and ▪ Multiphysics coupling allows complex
geometry defeaturing, that simulations to be gradually built up one part at
also enables the setup of
automatic selections a time
Integrated material library ▪ Environment makes it very simple to add
Easy setup of physics
custom, user defined equations – very
boundary conditions and important when scaling MEMS
Multiphysics couplings
▪ Post-process any variables that exist in the
Meshing
software or that you have created
Solving
▪ Run simulations in parallel in the cloud using
Results analysis enabling easy to use solver features
arbitrary post-processing
Simulating MEMS Devices
Electromechanical Forces: Built In Features
Electrostatics coupled with moving V+
Electrostatic attraction
mesh and structural mechanics for between objects at
modeling electrostatic actuators and different potentials
V=0
sensors causes structural
deformations
Cantilever beam fabricated on silicon wafer
Surrounding Air
Cantilever with
applied bias
Ground plane
COMSOL computes electrical forces on Result, showing deformed structure, axial
Initial Mesh
structure, both structure and mesh strain (color in beam) and electric potential
deform accordingly (contours)
Biased Resonator Tutorial Models
Sequence of tutorial models that describes in
detail the steps required to perform various
analyses of a resonator with the
electromechanics interface.
Symmetry plane
Drive Electrode
Narrow gap
▪ Biased displacement ▪ Pull-in voltage
▪ Biased resonant frequencies ▪ Frequency response Polysilicon Resonator
▪ Biased mode shapes
Electromechanical Forces: Equation Based
▪ For larger MEMS devices it is possible to use equations to model the forces between comb
structures – we will review an example model that illustrates this at the end of the webinar
▪ Forces can be constructed based on the distances between surfaces or edges in the model
▪ Can model electrostatic forces based on parallel plate approximations, or by using more
sophisticated analytics
▪ Spring softening is handled correctly if gap dependent forces are specified
Simulating Over Manufacturing Variation
▪ The deformed geometry interface can be used very Over-etch

conveniently for modeling manufacturing variations
including:
▪ Sidewall (arbitrary angles and non-uniform sidewall)
▪ Over-etch & over-etch gradients
Original geometry edges
▪ Thickness variations
▪ Equation based modeling allows for completely Sidewall
arbitrary distributions of these effects across a device.
▪ Using appropriate boundary conditions for the
deformed geometry interface it is possible to quickly
iterate over fab variations in a MEMS design – without
re-creating the geometry for each simulation
Piezoelectric Materials
▪ COMSOL has excellent, integrated features for
modeling fully anisotropic piezoelectric
materials, as both solids and shells
▪ Built in material properties and simple co-
ordinate system-based specification of poling
direction enable easy model setup and
visualization
▪ Terminal features enable convenient
characterization of electrical properties –
including S-parameters of resonant devices
▪ Easy to couple devices to simple circuits
▪ New features for modeling non-linear
piezoelectrics / ferroelectrics
Resonant MEMS
▪ Correct prediction of temperature dependent
resonant frequencies (multiplicative
decomposition)
▪ Detailed modeling of loss mechanisms in
resonant structures:
▪ Rayleigh damping (heuristic)
▪ Loss factor damping (heuristic)
▪ Thin film damping with the Reynolds equation
▪ Damping from full fluid structure interaction
models
▪ Anchor losses with PMLs
▪ Thermoelastic damping & associated heating
▪ Acoustic loss mechanisms
RF MEMS
▪ RF MEMS switches can be modeled including

the dynamics of pull-in (requires a penalty
contact)
▪ MEMS filters and variable capacitors of various
kinds can be modeled Switch capacitance vs. time
▪ Together with the RF module a range of devices

can be simulated including:
▪ Cavity resonators / tunable cavity resonators
▪ Antennas / reconfigurable antennas
Thermal MEMS
▪ Thermal actuators can be easily modeled as

can effects due to package/manufacturing
induced thermal stresses
▪ Easy to use multiphysics couplings allow
coupling between structural, electrical and
thermal interfaces to be progressively built up
Piezoresistivity
▪ Straightforwardly incorporate piezoresistive

elements into a device model using
convenient, Multiphysics coupling features
▪ Fully anisotropic piezoresistivity
▪ Ability to model piezoresistors in 3D or as thin
layers, or to model piezoresistors as a thin
layer within a structural shell
Packaging
▪ Packing processes such as underfill flow and cure
can be modeled
▪ A range of non-linear material models can be used to
model plastics and time-dependent effects such as
creep can be included
▪ Straightforward to model various package
deformation mechanisms:
▪ Hygroscopic swelling
▪ Thermal stresses
▪ Mechanical stresses
▪ Package level models can be coupled with device
models to understand effects on performance, e.g.
offset drift
Failure Analysis
▪ Failure analysis of MEMS devices can often be
significantly aided by finite element simulations
▪ Stiction, leakage, drop test failures/breakages,
non-linear behavior and offset drift are all
examples of processes amenable to analytic
and finite element modeling
▪ COMSOL’s Multiphysics and custom, equation-
based modeling capabilities, make it suitable for MEMS finger fused to surface
as a result of 150 V ESD
modeling a variety of these types of problems.
pulse (image courtesy SPIE)
Acoustic Devices
▪ COMSOL’s acoustics module allows for powerful simulations of MEMS
microphones as well as piezoelectric acoustic devices
▪ Acoustic-structure interaction features make coupling between mechanical
structures and acoustic domains straightforward
▪ Thermoacoustics accounts for heating effects in thin layers – often required in
MEMS microphones
Vibrating micromirror and

temperature variation in the air
around it.
Microfluidics
▪ The MEMS Module includes tools for fluid structure
interaction – including COMSOL’s fully coupled, finite
element-based approach
▪ A wide range of microfluidic devices can be simulated
with the Microfluidics model which includes the following
functionality:
▪ Two Phase Flow
▪ Electrokinetic and electrowetting effects
▪ Mixing and diffusion
▪ Slip flow
▪ Enhanced fluid flow features
Microfluidics
▪ Microfluidics application areas are diverse – areas we
have applied COMSOL in at Veryst include:
▪ Bubble entrapment
▪ Organ on a chip
▪ Lab on a chip devices
▪ Bioreactors
▪ Cell/fluid interaction
▪ Micropumps/valves mixers
▪ Nozzle/nebulizer applications
▪ Genomics devices
Optical MEMS
▪ COMSOL has a range of tools for modeling complex optical
phenomena in micromechanical systems
▪ Wave optics module:
▪ Perform full-field optical simulations on structures with
length scales significantly longer than the wavelength
using the beam envelopes method. Useful for modeling
on chip optical couplers etc.
▪ Ray optics module:
▪ Assess the effect of package stresses on the performance
of integrated optical components (e.g. lenses etc.)
▪ Assess thermal effects on optical components including
absorption related heating
Example Model: MEMS Gyroscope
Case Study: Simple Tuning Fork Gyroscope
▪ The figure on the right shows an SEM of a
very early MEMS gyroscope, and below it
a COMSOL model of a simple gyroscope
use for the purposes of this case study.
▪ This gyroscope is significantly simpler
than a modern device but serves as a
useful case study to illustrate modeling
w
techniques that can be applied on larger
scales.
▪ The design is a very simple, 1 axis
gyroscope, that vibrates in plane.
▪ Coriolis forces induce an out of plane
Drive Mode
response – as illustrated on the next slide. Sense Response
Drive and Sense Modes
▪ The animations below visualize the gyroscope drive and sense modes and
the Coriolis forces coupling the modes.
𝒖ሶ
𝜴
𝑤ሷ
𝑭𝒄𝒐𝒓 ∝ −𝜴 × 𝒖ሶ
Equation Based Approach for Modeling Capacitive Actuators
▪ The general extrusion

operator with the
“closest point” setting
can be used to
compute the distance
between adjacent
surfaces in COMSOL
▪ The operator works in
the spatial frame
(accounts for
movement), and is
compatible with
harmonic perturbations
▪ The electrostatic forces 𝐹𝐴𝑧 =

1 𝜕𝐶𝐴 2 1 𝜀0 𝑉 2
𝑉 =
are implemented as a 2 𝜕𝑧 2 𝑑2
non-linear function of the

distance between the
electrodes in the parallel
plate electrodes and or
comb drives
▪ We use COMSOL’s
perturbation machinery
and the “pre-stressed”
study types to linearize
the problem in the
frequency domain
▪ There are more sophisticated techniques for representing the forces than
the simple examples presented in this case study. In particular, it is possible
to:
▪ Account for comb disengagement / parallel plate misalignment
▪ Account for fringing in an approximate manner by deriving fringing factors
from a detailed electrostatic simulation
𝜕𝐶𝐴 𝜕𝐶𝐴 𝜕𝐶𝐴
▪ Compute , & from a detailed electrostatic simulation and then
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧
use that data for a much more accurate representation of the forces
acting.
▪ Use a smaller number of combs to look at the detailed response and
multiply the forces by an appropriate factor.
Contact Us
comsol.com/contact

Multi Physics Modeling of Me Ms

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Multi Physics Modeling of Me Ms

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Multiphysics Modeling of MEMS

James Ransley, Ph.D. Yeswanth Rao

▪ Veryst has a significant team of consultants with expertise in MEMS, sensors

Electrostatic Force L0 Electrostatic actuators are effective and common

Thin Film Damping Force L1 Thin film damping often important

Electrostatics Piezoelectric Electric Currents

▪ The deformed geometry interface can be used very Over-etch

▪ RF MEMS switches can be modeled including

▪ Together with the RF module a range of devices

▪ Thermal actuators can be easily modeled as

▪ Straightforwardly incorporate piezoresistive

Vibrating micromirror and

▪ The general extrusion

▪ The electrostatic forces 𝐹𝐴𝑧 =

non-linear function of the

You might also like