Microsystems (MEMS) Industry

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology is at the center of a rapidly emerging industry combining many different engineering disciplines & physics: electrical, electronic, mechanical, optical, material, chemical, and fluidic engineering disciplines. As the smallest commercially produced "machines," MEMS devices are similar to traditional sensors and actuators although much, much smaller. e.g. Complete systems are typically a few millimeters across, with individual devices and features of the order of 1-100 micrometers across.

Example of a MEMS switch, courtesy FEM-ware GmbHRF device. The response time of an electrostatic actuated beam is simulated. Actuation voltage, mechanical contact and fluid damping effects are simultaneously accommodated using our reduced order modellig (ROM) technique.

Microsystem Analysis Features

ANSYS Multiphysics has an extremely broad physics capability directly applicable to many areas of microsystem design. Coupling between these physics enables accurate, real world simulation of devices such as electrostatic driven comb drives. i.e.

• The ability to compute fluid structural damping effects is critical in determining the switching response time of devices such as micromirrors.
• Electro-thermal-structural effects are employed in thermal actuators.
• Fluid (CFD) capabilities are used to compute flow and free surface droplet formation useful in the design of ink-jet printer nozzles, and lab-on-chip applications.

The following diagram explains how ANSYS Multiphysics capabilities fits into your Microsystem/MEMS design process:

A sample of the features included in ANSYS Multiphysics are listed below:

• Structural static, modal, harmonic, transient mechanical deformation.
• Large deformation structural nonlinearities.
• Full contact with friction and thermal contact.
• Linear & non linear materials.
• Buckling, creep.
• Material properties: Temperature dependent, isotropic, orthotropic, anisotropic.
• Loads/Boundary conditions: Tabular, polynomial and function of a function loads.
• Plasticity, viscoplasticity, phase change.
• Electrostatics & Magnetostatics.
• Low Frequency Electromagnetics.
• High Frequency Electromagnetics. (Full wave, frequency domain).
• Circuit coupling - voltage & current driven.
• Acoustic - Structural coupling.
• Electrostatic-structural coupling.
• Capacitance and electrostatic force extraction.
• Fluid-Structural capability to evaluate damping effects on device response time.
• Microfluidics: Newtonian & non Newtonian continuum flow
• Free Surface VOF with temperature dependent surface tension.
• Charged particle tracing in electrostatic and magnetostatic fields.
• Electro-thermal-structural coupling.
• Piezoelectric & Piezoresistive transducers: Direct coupled structural-electric physics. Full isotropic, orthotropic parameters.
• Advanced themrolelectirc effect such as Seebeck, Peltier & thermocouple.

ANSYS MEMS Applications Overview

ANSYS Multiphysics can be applied to a broad range of Microsystem/MEMS analysis. The following table shows the analysis capability relevant for a range of applications. Select the application name or click the link in the "at a glance" section to the right to view a more detailed description.

Microsystem Application	ANSYS Multiphysics Capability
Inertial Devices: Accelerometers & Gyroscopes	Structural modal, Static, Transient, Electrostatic-Structural, Reduced order macro modeling for system level.
Surface Acoustic Wave Devices	Acoustic - Structural coupling
MicroStripline Components	High Frequency electromagnetics.
Micro-patch and Fractal Antennas	High Frequency electromagnetics.
Piezo Inkjet Printheads	Thermal actuation: Electro-thermal - structural coupled physics. Thermal-structural coupled physics
Thermal Inkjet Printheads	Piezoelectric actuation: Direct coupled structural-electric physics. VOF Free surfaces & capillary action.
Micro mass spectrometers	Electromagnetics & charged particle tracing
Electrostatic comb drives	Electrostatic - structural coupling. Capacitance extraction.
Microfluidic Channels	Newtonian/non-Newtonian continuum flow
Piezoelectric actuators	Full isotropic & orthotropic parameters
Pressure transducers:	Capacitance based: Electrostatic structural coupling. Piezo-resistive based: Electro-Structural indirect coupling
Electromechanical RF filters	Electrostatic - structural coupling. Capacitance extraction.
Micromirror technology	Electrostatic - structural coupling. Fluidic structural capability to evaluate damping effects
Micro-grippers	Electro-Thermal-structural
Micro TIP field emitters	Electrostatics & charged particle tracing
Micro-Gear assemblies	Mechanical with complex contact, friction.
Thermoelectric actuators	Electro-thermal - structural coupled physics
Magnetostrictive actuators	Low Frequency electromagnetics

MEMS Industry Brochure