CFD-ACE+MEMS: A CAD system for simulation and modeling of MEMS

Computer aided design (CAD) systems are a key to designing and manufacturing MEMS with higher performance/reliability, reduced costs, shorter prototyping cycles and improved time-to-market. One such system is CFD-ACE+MEMS, a modeling and simulation environment for MEMS which includes grid generation, data visualization, graphical problem setup, and coupled fluidic, thermal, mechanical, electrostatic, and magnetic physical models. The fluid model is a 3-D multi-block, structured/unstructured/hybrid, pressure-based, implicit Navier-Stokes code with capabilities for multi-component diffusion, multispecies transport, multi-step gas phase chemical reactions, surface reactions, and multi-media conjugate heat transfer. The thermal model solves the total enthalpy form of the energy equation. The energy equation includes unsteady, convective, conductive, species energy, viscous dissipation, work, and radiation terms. The electrostatic model solves Poisson's equation. Both the finite volume method and the boundary element method (BEM) are available for solving Poisson's equation. The BEM method is useful for unbounded problems (problems with an infinite domain). The magnetic model solves for the vector magnetic potential from Maxwell's equations including eddy currents but neglecting displacement currents. The mechanical model is a finite element stress/deformation solver which has been coupled to the flow, heat, electrostatic, and magnetic calculations to study flow, thermal, electrostatically, and magnetically induced deformations of structures. The mechanical or structural model can accommodate elastic and plastic materials, can handle large non-linear displacements, and can model isotropic and anisotropic materials. The thermal-mechanical coupling involves the solution of the steady state Navier equation with thermoelastic deformation. The electrostatic-mechanical coupling is a calculation of the pressure force due to surface charge on the mechanical structure. Results of CFD-ACE+MEMS modeling of MEMS such as cantilever beams, accelerometers, and comb drives are discussed.