-At the present time the insertion of RF MEMS switches into real architecture requires reduced actuation voltage, reduced dimensions and a better control of the electrical and electromechanical behavior that gives more importance to surface effects, their understanding and modeling. The use of such devices needs the development of methods for estimating the contact performances as a function of surface roughness, contact materials and contact topologies. With the increase of computation capabilities the rough surface topography can be implemented in the finite element model but implies long calculation times or even calculation overloading if a high definition of the roughness is desired. To reduce these limitations, assumptions on the micro-geometry are required. This work treats, by use of finite element modeling, the influence of the definition of roughness of contacting switch members on the electrical contact resistance of resistive switches and investigates the error introduced by using a minimal defined AFM sampling interval of 10nm. The present numerical analysis is implemented for switch test structures.
This paper presents an overview of the important issues in thefield of TCAD MEMS. It will be shown different techniques to investigate the materials properties of MEMS and their impact on the RF MEMS characteristics. Multi-physic simulation are presented to predict the initial deformation of MEMS based membrane and to predict the capacitive and DC contact characteristics ofRF MEMS.
A specific experimental setup combining nanoindentation and electrical inputs has been developed in order to determine the reliability and the performances of Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) like micro-switches. The evolution of the electrical resistance with respect to a mechanical solicitation applied on the contact, is henceforth available. The description of the setup goes with a brief overview of the tests performed on a gold ohmic switch. A discussion is developed considering the mechanisms involved in the contact response. A confrontation among the experimental results, the analytical modeling and also finite-element analysis is presented.
In this problematic, we are working on a systematic and robust conception flow. Figure 2 describes the whole conception flow, starting from the conceptual specifications thru mask design and finishing with the complete simulation at system level. The main challenge concerns the bottom-up conception flow (Figure 2) which needs a special effort in the modeling of the full process of MEMS technology. In fact we need to create a virtual prototype of the device able to take into account the inherent interrelated physical phenomena at process level and play, such as initial stress, mechanical contact, temperature, thermoelastic, electromagnetic effects. The best way to solve each coupled physics simultaneously (not sequentially) relies on using only one tool. For example, two softwares provided by ANSYS and COMSOL offer multiphysics environment. Even these multiphysics software are great, we cannot hope a well proven and dedicated tool to solve each specifics physics with respect to a reasonable time consuming. So this chapter outlines an original approach based on reverse engineering method used to both interface different Computer-Aided Design (CAD) softwares each other and also advanced characterization software. Geometry model 3D Technological process simulations (Etching simulation, 3D model regeneration) Global simulation : Micro-electronic Micro-systems & Packaging Finite Element Simulation (ANSYS-COMSOL) Behavioral models or Reduced Order Modeling Mask drawing GDSII, CIF (CLEWIN...) Design rules verification DRC (MEMULATOR, CADENCE) MEMS RF Specifications Design and RF architecture Electrical circuit design (Analytical and/or FE model) Blocks decomposition of RF function Equivalent circuits-Electrical Equations Behavioral models SPICE, HDL, VERILOG, AMESIM Recent Advances in Modelling and Simulation 436
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