MEMS-based sensor circuits are traditionally designed separately using CAD tools specific to each energy domain (electrical and mechanical). This article presents a complete approach for combined MEMS-IC robustness optimization. Advanced methods for robustness analysis and optimization considering design, operating and process parameters, developed for integrated circuits, are transferred to MEMS-IC systems. Both electrical and mechanical design and process parameters are included in the optimization. The methodology is exemplified on two demonstrator examples: a MEMS microphone and a MEMS accelerometer, each with an integrated readout circuit. A successful optimization requires the simultaneous inclusion of design parameters and process tolerances from both energy domains. To save CPU time, a reduced-order, circuit-level model is used for the MEMS part and this model is created only when necessary. To integrate the generation of the simplified model into the optimization flow, a simulation-in-a-loop flow based on commercial tools for both the electrical and the mechanical domain has been implemented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.