MEMS fault model generation using CARAMEL

We have enhanced the process simulator CODEF (1996) into a tool called CARAMEL (Contamination And Reliability Analysis of MicroElectromechanical Layout) for analyzing the impact of contamination particles on the geometrical and material properties of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). CARAMEL accepts as input a microelectromechanical layout, a particulate description, and a process recipe. CARAMEL produces a mesh description of the defective layout that is completely compatible with the electromechanical simulator ABAQUS (1995). Analysis of CARAMEL's output indicates that a wide range of defective structures are possible due to the presence of contaminations. Moreover, electromechanical simulations of CARAMEL's mesh representations of defective layout has revealed that a wide variety of faulty behaviors are associated with these defects. In this paper, we describe CARAMEL and its application to the development of realistic fault models for MEMS.

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