MEMS dynamics : measurements and modeling

Advances in MEMS sensors for diversified applications require use of computational modeling and simulation accompanied by physical measurements. We believe that successful combination of computer aided design (CAD) and multiphysics simulation tools with a state-of-the-art (SOTA) measurement methodology will contribute to reduction of high prototyping costs, long product development cycles, and time-to-market pressures while developing MEMS for a variety of applications. In our approach we combine a unique, fully integrated, software environment for multiscale, multiphysics, high fidelity modeling of MEMS with the SOTA optoelectronic laser interferometric microscope (OELIM) methodology for measurements. The OELIM methodology allows remote, noninvasive, full-field-of-view (FFV) measurements of displacements/deformations with high spatial resolution, nanometer accuracy, and in near real-time. In this paper, both, the modeling environment (including an analytical model used to quantitatively show an influence that various parameters defining a sensor may have on its dynamics using this model dynamic characteristics of a sensor can be optimized by constraining its nominal dimensions and finding the optimum set of uncertainties/tolerances in these dimensions) and the OELIM methodology are described and their applications are illustrated with representative examples demonstrating viability of the approach, combining measurements and modeling (i.e., M&M), for development of MEMS. Preliminary results demonstrate capability of our M&M approach to quantitatively determine effects of dynamic operational loads on performance of selected MEMS.