Modeling and Simulation of RF MEMS devices

A stable, device specific, multiple energy domain and multi scale simulation tool for Radio Frequency (RF) MicroElectroMechanicalSystems (MEMS) devices is developed. A structured design methodology is adopted for design and optimization of RF MEMS shunt switch and MEMS inductor. The Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool incorporates physical parameters such as surface roughness. An electromechanical model of the RF MEMS shunt switch is solved by a numerical technique based on the iterative Finite Element Method (FEM). The electrical properties such as capacitance and electric field are obtained. The algorithm to extract inductor is based on solution of Laplace equation by FEM followed by current density computation. The energy of resulting magnetic field is estimated by Monte Carlo sampling. The tool also generates CIF (Caltech Intermediate Form) net list necessary for planar mask lay out. The tool analyzes the impact of surface roughness and also does thermal analysis. These are useful for understanding reliability and failure mechanisms of RF MEMS components. Key-Words: RF, MEMS, CAD, EDA, FEM, surface roughness