MEMS design

Abstract

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) involve both electronic and mechanical elements that may perform sensing, actuation, and other functions such as signal transduction, processing, control and communication. These systems have been evolving from simple function-specific devices to elaborate systems with complicated microstructures and integrative circuitry with the help of modern design tools and advanced manufacturing capabilities. Various engineering issues and problems including functionality, performance, integration, packaging, reliability, cost, etc. must be systematically and thoroughly considered for constructing these new generation microsystems. This chapter presents an overview on the design process with which engineers formulate plans for the realization of MEMS devices and systems, taking advantages of fundamental sciences on device physics, computer aided design (CAD) tools, as well as state-of-art fabrication libraries and manufacturing experiences. A short introduction to MEMS design is covered in Section 8.1. Section 8.2 addresses CAD tools for MEMS, including the current available software and research directions in this area. Design issues in the two most common micromachining processes, bulk-micromachining and surface-micromachining processes, have been discussed in Sections 8.3 and 8.4 with design examples. Finally, we conclude the chapter with summary and future trends in Section 8.5.