Papers by Gerold Schropfer
Global model generation for a capacitive silicon accelerometer by finite-element analysis
Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 1998
... Lerch, Ph. Renaud, Global modeling and simulation of microsystems, Proc. Micromechanics Europ... more ... Lerch, Ph. Renaud, Global modeling and simulation of microsystems, Proc. Micromechanics Europe (MME 96). ... B. Romanowicz, A. Vachoux, Y. Ansel, M. Laudon, C. Amacker, Ph. Renaud, G. Schropfer, VHDL-1076.1 Modeling examples for microsystem simulation, Proc. ...
2010 First Workshop on Hardware and Software Implementation and Control of Distributed MEMS, 2010
This paper presents an entirely new methodology for designing MEMS devices and simulating them to... more This paper presents an entirely new methodology for designing MEMS devices and simulating them together with integrated electronics within a standard EDA environment. At least two aspects of this new methodology are unique. First, the MEMS designer can construct the behavioral model in a 3-D view. This direct creation of a MEMS device in a 3-D view represents better the 3-D nature of MEMS devices and is expected to be more natural for MEMS engineers who are used to working in a 3-D CAD environment. The resulting 3-D view differs from a typical feature-based 3-D CAD modeling tool in that there is an underlying complex behavioral model associated with each MEMS component. Second, the behavioral model of the complete MEMS device that is shared with the standard EDA environment can be fully parameterized with respect to manufacturing-and designdependent variables. Using the example of Texas Instruments's Digital Light Projection [DLP] mirror device, we demonstrate how the new design flow can be applied to a complete mirror array, simulating multiple electro-mechanical mirror devices together with their control electronics, based on SRAM memory cell underneath each mirror.
Provision of integrated micro-nanotechnologies via toolkits in the Europractice Service Project INTEGRAMplus
2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2007
Summary form only given. INTEGRAMplus is an initiative supported by the European Commission to pr... more Summary form only given. INTEGRAMplus is an initiative supported by the European Commission to provide access to a flexible design and prototyping service with a route to volume manufacture of novel products based on integrated microsystems. Its aim is to lower access barriers to integrated micro-nanotechnology (MNT) solutions by providing a portfolio of standardised multi- domain and multi-technology modules and
VHDL-1076.1 Modeling Examples for Microsystem Simulation
Current Issues in Electronic Modeling, 1997
Miniaturized, integrated sensors and actuators are a rapidly growing field with great future pote... more Miniaturized, integrated sensors and actuators are a rapidly growing field with great future potential. To further promote their use, specialists must make them more accessible to system designers. This can be done through behavioral modeling of sensors and actuators using analog hardware description languages. The resulting models can be used in conjunction with models of the associated electronics to simulate a complete microsystem. This chapter presents VHDL 1076.1 modeling and simulation considerations applied to this field.
<title>Designing manufacturable MEMS in CMOS-compatible processes: methodology and case studies</title>
MEMS, MOEMS, and Micromachining, 2004
Applications and simulation of unconventional bulk-micromachining using underetching of {100} silicon planes
Microsystem Technologies, 1999
... (1997); b torsional micro-mirror fabricated by maskless etching. The silicon oxide at the bor... more ... (1997); b torsional micro-mirror fabricated by maskless etching. The silicon oxide at the border is not removed. The thickness of the rotating mittor is about 4 m Fig. 2a–c. Some seismic masses with more complex suspension beams. All structures are etched in one step 196 ...
Experimental measurements and behavioral modeling of an electrostatically actuated bi-axial micromirror
Microsystem Technologies, 2005
Abstract Recent developments in micro-electro-mechanical systems and micromachining technologies ... more Abstract Recent developments in micro-electro-mechanical systems and micromachining technologies have made possible the development and integration of micromirrors that can be employed for a number of consumer applications such as free space optical switching (Syms in J ...
Advanced Process Emulation and Circuit Simulation for Co-Design of MEMS and CMOS Devices
Proc. DTIP (Montreux, …, 2005
We discuss the co-design of integrated MEMS accelerometer array designed and fabricated onto the ... more We discuss the co-design of integrated MEMS accelerometer array designed and fabricated onto the input of a CMOS charge amplifier. The focus of this paper is on two parts of the design flow: Firstly, advanced 3D process emulation and secondly, circuit simulation. We use a " ...
SISPAD '97. 1997 International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices. Technical Digest, 1997
A capacitance evaluation method based on the extraction of physical parameters from finite elemen... more A capacitance evaluation method based on the extraction of physical parameters from finite element (FE) analysis is presented. Mechanical simulations and this capacitance evaluation method were applied to a new, highly symmetrical, silicon accelerometer in view of globaly modeling the sensor system. The commercial hardware description language HDL-ATM is used to develop a compact behavioral macromodels for SPICE simulators.
bservation on Magnetoresistive Sensor Elements
We investigate the domain behavior of different magnetoresistance sensor elements to optimize a s... more We investigate the domain behavior of different magnetoresistance sensor elements to optimize a sensor shape for high sensitivity applications. Some of the encountered re- manent domain patterns are analyzed using a novel quantitative magnetooptic observation technique. The center coercivity field and the saturation field of the elements were measured as a clue for stability and sensitivity of the sensor element. I. INTRODUCTION ENSOR elements based on the classical anisotropic magne- toresistive (AMR) effect are widely used in data recording, machine control, electric current measurement, and many other applications connected with the detection of small magnetic fields ( 11. They have a potential for extremely high sensitivity competing with flux gate sensors and even with SQUID detectors. The advantage of magnetoresistive sensors is their compact shape and the possibility to integrate the sensor and all evaluation electronics on a few silicon chips. To achieve high sensitivity the...
Customer-oriented product engineering of micro and nano devices
This paper discusses novel customer-oriented micro device product engineering methodology based o... more This paper discusses novel customer-oriented micro device product engineering methodology based on a real sample design of MEMS inertial sensor. The methodology supports multi-site product development. Virtual prototyping on a sample rapid virtual wafer run with extended customer support and feedback are also discussed along with presentation of selected set of software tools involved. Visualization and verification with the real process of the MEMS inertial sensor fabrication is also presented.
Microsystems & Nanoengineering
This paper describes a novel, semiautomated design methodology based on a genetic algorithm (GA) ... more This paper describes a novel, semiautomated design methodology based on a genetic algorithm (GA) using freeform geometries for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. The proposed method can design MEMS devices comprising freeform geometries and optimize such MEMS devices to provide high sensitivity, large bandwidth, and large fabrication tolerances. The proposed method does not require much computation time or memory. The use of freeform geometries allows more degrees of freedom in the design process, improving the diversity and performance of MEMS devices. A MEMS accelerometer comprising a mechanical motion amplifier is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the design approach. Experimental results show an improvement in the product of sensitivity and bandwidth by 100% and a sensitivity improvement by 141% compared to the case of a device designed with conventional orthogonal shapes. Furthermore, excellent immunities to fabrication tolerance and parameter mismatch a...
SystemC-AMS simulation of a biaxial accelerometer based on MEMS model order reduction
2015 Symposium on Design, Test, Integration and Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS (DTIP), 2015
This paper proposes a framework for system-level modeling and simulation of a Micro Electro-Mecha... more This paper proposes a framework for system-level modeling and simulation of a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS). We show how a reduced-order model of MEMS can be integrated into SystemC-AMS. We propose the use of an external linear algebra library and alternative time integration method. Both are used to customize a Timed Data Flow (TDF) module to address MEMS modeling. Experiments are conducted on a biaxial accelerometer to verify its response to a ramp impulse. Our implementation runs about twice as fast as the state space resolution currently implemented in SystemC-AMS 2.0. Results highlight potential improvements of SystemC-AMS standard to correctly simulate the analog behavior of MEMS devices.
New design methodology for MEMS-electronic-package co-design and validation for inertial sensor systems
2015 Symposium on Design, Test, Integration and Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS (DTIP), 2015
This paper proposes a new design methodology enabling the co-design of MEMS with electronics whil... more This paper proposes a new design methodology enabling the co-design of MEMS with electronics while considering the influences of its surrounding package. The proposed solution has been validated on a case study of a MEMS accelerometer. We describe different options to simulate the MEMS accelerometer device with its package. Firstly, as a parametric MEMS+ component model based on high-order finite elements. Secondly, as an automatically generated reduced-order model in VerilogA format. Both models are fully compatible with standard electronic circuit simulators. The comparison between both models reveals that the VerilogA model shows similar accuracy (difference is smaller than 1%) while it is considerably faster in simulation time (by more than a factor of 1000). The proposed methodology can efficiently simulate the interaction between MEMS chip, package and electronic read-out circuit, which is an important part of a new approach of smart system design.
A novel software environment for design and simulation of piezoMEMS
2012 International Conference on Synthesis, Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Methods and Applications to Circuit Design (SMACD), 2012
ABSTRACT This paper describes the use of a novel design and simulation platform for piezoMEMS dev... more ABSTRACT This paper describes the use of a novel design and simulation platform for piezoMEMS devices and systems. This platform called MEMS+ is part of a complete environment where the seamless link to standard EDA and CAD tools enables complete and easy system simulation. The methodology is applied to two piezodevices examples, a unimorph cantilever energy harvester and a piston micromirror.
Capacitive detection method evaluation physical parameter extraction from finite element for silicon accelerometer by simulations
A capacitance evaluation method based on the extraction of physical parameters from finite elemen... more A capacitance evaluation method based on the extraction of physical parameters from finite element (FE) analysis is presented. Mechanical simulations and this capacitance evaluation method were applied to a new, highly symmetrical, silicon accelerometer in view of globaly modeling the sensor system. The commercial hardware description language HDL-A(TM) is used to develop a compact behavioral macromodels for SPICE simulators.
A novel approach to RF MEMS device- and system-level simulation based on MEMS+ and Matlab-Simulink
The aim of this work is to model a novel tuneable RF capacitor based on a gyroscope-like complex ... more The aim of this work is to model a novel tuneable RF capacitor based on a gyroscope-like complex geometry using a new design platform based on component library MEMS+. This modelling approach allows detailed and accurate device simulation as well as rapid system-level simulation through an automatic transfer into general system software, namely Matlab/Simulink.
3D Parametric-Library-Based MEMS/IC Design
Advanced Micro and Nanosystems, 2013
<title>Comparison between an optical and a capacitive transducer for a novel multiaxial bulk-micromachined accelerometer</title>
Micromachined Devices and Components IV, 1998
ABSTRACT Recently, we demonstrated the feasibility of a novel 3D silicon bulk-micromachined accel... more ABSTRACT Recently, we demonstrated the feasibility of a novel 3D silicon bulk-micromachined accelerometer with an optical or a capacitive read-out. In this paper we will compare both detection techniques, and also show their potentials and limitations. The mechanical elements of the accelerometers are fabricated by an unconventional wet etching process of (100) silicon, resulting in symmetrically suspended seismic masses with a high lateral sensitivity and very low transverse sensitivities. For the detection of the seismic mass displacement under the effect of an acceleration, two possibilities are investigated. Firstly, by forming a Fabry- Perot cavity between the seismic mass and the output of an optical fiber, the acceleration can be sensed by measuring the optical path change. Secondly, comb shaped electrodes have been implemented to form a capacitive transducer. Both techniques can be used to build a 3D accelerometer system. Finally, we show that the noise floors of both devices are on the same order of magnitude, leading to a potentially high sensitivity (down to 1 (mu) g/(root)Hz). The optical device shows the advantage of multiplexing capability, passive fiber alignment, distant read-out, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. The capacitive transducer has beside the general advantages of an electrostatic transducer (such as possible closed loop-operation, wide temperature range, low power operation) a linear capacitive change versus displacements.
The contribution will describe in detail recent development related to the integration of MEMS in... more The contribution will describe in detail recent development related to the integration of MEMS into a SiP design flow. A key step in implementing system-level simulation is the translation of the physical behavior of the constitutive components in a system from the more fine-grained continuum level to more abstract, coarse grained models. An important challenge is the preservation of accuracy from fine-grained simulation to a degree that is deemed adequate. In order for the simulator to run in a reasonable time, the system-level model should only include the degrees of freedom (DOF) necessary to capture the relevant physics. Very handy in this sense are methods of model-order reduction (MOR), which under certain conditions enable almost automatic transfer from the continuum level simulation up to the behavioral models with minimal loss of accuracy. The key part of the proposed MEMS enabled SiP design flow is the design platform MEMS+. This software provides a complete environment for designing state-of-the-art accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones and many other types of MEMS. This latest developments of the MEMS+ suite extends the scope of the platform by providing a 'tunable' accuracy-versus-speed approach for co-designing MEMS and integrated circuits (ICs) and compatibility with more EDA analog/mixed-signal simulation environments. MEMS designers can automatically generate and export Reduced Order Models (ROMs) in Verilog-A format for use by IC designers. These exported models simulate 100X faster than fully non-linear MEMS+ models and are compatible with all commercial analog/mixed-signal circuit simulators that support the industry-standard Verilog-A hardware description language. The VerilogA models can be simulated in different EDA environments including the MEMS+ plug-in simulator, Matlab-Simulink, Cadence Spectre, Silvaco's SmartSPICE, and Agilent ADS. The transfer of the VerilogA into ADS for circuit simulation can be summarizes as following: We generated the VerilogA model of a MEMS Tunable Capacitor example using vertical displacement and made a DC sweep simulation, see figure 1 (in MEMS+ simulator plug-in) to obtain the capacitance function of the polarization and compared it with ADS circuit simulator, see figure 2. Comparing MEMS+ simulation and ADS
Uploads
Papers by Gerold Schropfer