Physically based modeling of squeeze film damping by mixed-level system simulation

We propose a mixed-level simulation scheme for squeeze film damping (SQFD) effects in microdevices, which enables the inclusion of these effects in system-level models of entire microsystems. Our treatment of SQFD follows a natural physically based and flexible methodology, which also allows for complex geometries and coupling between different energy and signal domains. The proposed damping model is realized in VHDL-AMS and, therefore, can easily be included in system-level models for full system simulation. Results obtained for elementary and complex microstructures show excellent agreement with 3D Navier-Stokes-based FEM simulations, but are computationally by far less expensive, thus proving the quality and power of our approach. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.