MEMS Devices

Andy Cai, COMSOL

MEMS: Microelectromechanical Systems

Electrical Structural

MEMS

Microfluidics Thermal
Key Design and Simulation Challenges

Different forces dominate at different length scales

Length scale

High-aspect-ratio, multilayered structures

Aspect ratio

Multiple materials with nonlinear, anisotropic, and inhomogeneous properties

Materials

Multiphysics interactions
Damping and losses
Physics
Typical Techniques Modeled with
COMSOL Multiphysics®

Actuation Techniques Sensing Mechanisms Example of an Accelerometer

▪ Electrostatic ▪ Capacitive When an accelerometer (shown above) is subjected to an
acceleration, the restoring force from the springs causes a
▪ Piezoelectric ▪ Piezoresistive
proportionate displacement of the proof mass. The displacement
▪ Electrothermal ▪ Optical* causes a change in the capacitance between the fixed and moving
▪ Electromagnetics ▪ Electrochemical* electrodes, which is how the sensing mechanism measures
displacement.

*In combination with the Wave Optics Module or Electrochemistry Module

MEMS IS MULTIPHYSICS

MEMS Module
Many of the MEMS techniques involve several coupled
physics phenomena, typically electromagnetic fields and
solid mechanics. Therefore, the MEMS Module is based
on ready-made multiphysics couplings to described
MEMS devices. The MEMS Module is also one of the
most feature-rich add-ons to COMSOL Multiphysics®.

The reverse piezoelectric effect is used

to drive an in-plane tuning fork mode.
Mechanical Sensors
▪ Capacitive sensors
▪ Piezoelectric sensors
▪ Piezoresistive sensors

Capacitively actuated surface-

micromachined accelerometer.
 Placement of finger
Touchscreen simulator app. and electrode
configuration. Electric field norm.

Capacitive Sensors
▪ Capacitive sensors are used in touchscreens to detect a “touch” and its location

▪ Self-capacitance and mutual capacitance electrodes are used to determine changes in capacitance due to a touch

▪ Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Electrostatics

Piezoelectric Sensors
Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Piezoelectricity
Piezoelectric sensors such as surface acoustic wave (SAW)
sensors and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) sensors are used for
sensing environmental variables (i.e., pressure, temperature,
and humidity) and structural variables.

Mode shape of a SAW sensor:

YZ-cut lithium niobate. The
SAW sensor is used here as a Thickness shear-mode shape of AT-cut quartz BAW sensor.
chemical sensor by detecting Typically used for electrodeposition sensing, biosensing,
the shift in resonance frequency. chemical sensing, and humidity sensing applications.
Piezoelectric Sensors
Analysis of bulk acoustic
wave sensor devices:
▪ Finding the resonance modes
▪ Computing the dispersion
diagram:
The dispersion curve can be
plotted against both real and
imaginary values of the wave
number, corresponding to
the propagating and
evanescent modes. Geometry of the thin-film BAW resonator. Dispersion diagram of the BAW structure.

The lowest bulk acoustic mode of the resonator.

Piezoresistive Sensors
Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Piezoresistivity
Allows you to model piezoresistive materials as both thin shell and thick solid

▪ Principal of operation: Applied pressure leads to change in

material resistivity.
▪ Change in resistance is measured using a Wheatstone bridge circuit,
which converts small changes in resistance to output voltage.

An X-shaped piezoresistor on a membrane. Stress generation. Voltage generation.

Accelerometers
Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Electromechanics
Consists of a proof mass with springs at the ends as well as
sensing and fixed electrodes. Acceleration moves the proof
mass, causing a change in capacitance between the moving
and fixed electrodes. Voltage is induced due to capacitive
coupling.

Sensed voltage
Displacement profile of a polysilicon versus applied
accelerometer subjected to 50 g. acceleration.
Electromechanical
MEMS Resonators
Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Electromechanics
Designed to resonate at a known frequency. More sensitive than
analog sensors. Principle of operation is that the frequency of
operation, damping constant, or phase shift is altered by a variable of
interest.

Resonance
frequency of first
Resonance mode of a biased micromechanical mode as a function
resonator used in a micromechanical filter. of applied DC bias.
Mechanical Actuators
Electrostatic actuators: the
attraction of two oppositely
charged plates
Piezoelectric actuators: the
electrically induced displacement Piezoelectric cantilever: total displacement
and electric field distribution.
(or strain) is proportional to the
applied potential difference
 Mesh and structural displacement. Electric field and electric potential.

Electrostatically Actuated Beam

Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Electromechanics

▪ Bending of a cantilever beam under ▪ The deformation of the beam under an

an applied electrostatic load applied voltage is investigated
▪ To compute the electrostatic force,
the electric field in the surrounding
air is also considered
 Deformed shape of the piezoelectric
Local coordinate system. shear-actuated beam.

Piezoelectric Actuated Beam

Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Piezoelectricity

▪ Static analysis of a composite cantilever beam equipped

with a piezoceramic actuator
▪ An electric field is applied perpendicular to the poling
direction, which introduces a transverse deflection
Thermal Sensors and
Actuators
▪ Thermomechanical sensors
▪ Thermoresistive sensors
▪ Thermocouples
Temperature and displacement in a microactuator. Temperature and displacement in a microresistor beam.

▪ Thermal actuators
▪ Shape memory alloy actuators
▪ Relevant interfaces in COMSOL
Multiphysics®: Thermal Stress and Electrical connection
Joule Heating
Bimetallic thermostat based on principle of thermal expansion.
RF Sensors and Filters
▪ Silicon oscillators
▪ Variable capacitors
▪ Tunable filters Electric potential and electric field distribution in Displacement of a pulled-in MEMS switch.
a tunable capacitor.

▪ RF switches
▪ Cavity resonators/tunable A piezoelectric actuator is used to
cavity resonators fine-tune the resonance frequency
around 3 GHz in an evanescent
cavity mode filter. The deformation
▪ Antennas/reconfigurable of the piezoelectric element is
exaggerated for visualization
antennas purposes. A surface plot of the
electric field norm and an arrow plot
of the electric field are also shown.
Squeeze Film Pressure Sensor
Relevant interface in COMSOL Multiphysics®: Thin-Film Flow
▪ Suspended membrane with a small gap consisting of a gas
▪ Resonance frequency of the membrane depends on the pressure
of the squeezed gas as it changes the resonator stiffness
▪ Pressure of the squeezed gas in turn depends on the external
pressure on the membrane

Typical configuration of squeezed film interaction. Fluid pressure due to vibrating disc.
LIVE DEMO
Pressure Sensors
Capacitive pressure sensor:
Cross section through the device showing the capacitor.
Pressure applied on a membrane separated from a
ground plane chamber sealed under high vacuum
Change in capacitance to ground to detect pressure
Example model also includes packaging stress

Capacitance versus operating temperature.

Displacement profile of a
capacitive pressure sensor.
Multiphysics Modeling for MEMS Devices

Terminal Electrical Terminal

Circuit

Electric
Electrostatics Piezoelectricity
Currents
Piezoresistivity

Electromechanics
Structural Joule Heating and
Thermal Expansion

Thin-Film Thermoelasticity
Flow

Fluid-Structure
Fluids Interaction Thermal Stress Heat

Single-physics and multiphysics interfaces available with the MEMS Module.

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