Coventor, Inc.

Gunar Lorenz

Mattan Kamon

Stephen R Breit

Christopher J Kennedy

A 3-D multi-physics design environment ('3-D design environment') for designing and simulating multi-physics devices such as MEMS devices is discussed. The 3-D design environment is programmatically integrated with a system modeling environment that is suitable for system-level design and simulation of analog-signal ICs, mixed-signal ICs and multi-physics systems. A parameterized MEMS device model is created in a 3-D graphical view in the 3-D design environment using parameterized model components that are each associated with an underlying behavioral model. After the MEMS device model is completed, it may be exported to a system modeling environment without subjecting the model to preliminary finite element meshing.

System and method for three-dimensional schematic capture and result visualization of multi-physics system models

A system-level design and simulation environment utilizing a process specification tool that is programmatically integrated with the system level design and simulation environment thereby enabling the process-flexible design and simulation of Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices and other micro-fabricated devices is disclosed. The process specification tool is a software tool for specifying the details of the fabrication process and enables the separation of the process data from the system-level design and simulation environment. The process specification tool retrieves the process data, which may include both the process specification and material properties data. The separation of this process data from the system-level design and simulation environment allows the system-level model to have process-related parameters whose specification is not fixed, but rather is tied by reference to the process data. The tying of components to the process data allows the system-level environment to extract multiple process parameters for each component model instead of requiring duplicate entry of these parameters in each component model, a time-consuming and error prone process. Modifications of the process data are programmatically communicated to the system-level environment. The dynamic response to changes in the process data allows alternative simulations to be run more effectively and quickly than in traditional IC design environments.

System and method for process-flexible MEMS design and simulation

The generation of a graphical three-dimensional (3D) view of a system model of a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS), which also may be depicted in a schematic view, is disclosed. Information contained in the system model is used to generate 3D representations of model components which are then assembled into an overall model. The system model is composed by selecting MEMS component models from a MEMS component library. The MEMS component models include parameter information and include or reference 3D view generators used to generate the 3D view of the associated component. The system model is programmatically analyzed to identify the associated 3D view generators used to generate the 3D views of the components. The visualization process may be extended to include a simulator which simulates the underlying system model. The simulation results are then displayed by using the 3D visualization process to present 3D views of the model as it changes during different points in the simulation.

System and method for three-dimensional visualization and postprocessing of a system model

A mesh generation tool that is programmatically integrated with a system-level design and simulation environment, thereby enabling the direct generation of PDE solver input from a system-level design and simulation environment and a method for using the mesh generation tool are disclosed. Automatic mesh generation and optimization is improved by making available additional information about the nature and purpose of certain design components to the mesh generation tool. Specifically, the parameters of the components in the device schematic, which represent a user-defined decomposition of a larger MEMS design into smaller entities of clear physical purpose, are made available to the mesh generation tool. The link established between the system-level design and PDE analyses allows the user to move between the two levels of abstraction. The mesh generation tool retrieves information from the components and connectors of a schematic of a MEMS device, and produces a discrete element model suitable for numerical PDE analysis by the finite element (FEM) and boundary element (BEM) methods. A direct link from a schematic model to a mesh model helps the user to produce an optimal mesh for PDE analysis, thereby avoiding considerable unnecessary computation.

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St. Remy les Chevreuse, France

Gunar Lorenz