Structured Design Methods for MEMS , Antonsson , November 1 , 1995 1 Structured Design Methods for MEMS

While considerable progress has been made in the areas of etch simulation [4, 6, 7, 8, 18], nite element analysis [3, 5, 11, 14, 16, 17, 22], corner compensation [1, 13, 15], and design [10, 19, 20, 21] the fabrication of MEMS has been made without the bene t of design automation techniques. In contrast, the design of VLSI systems has become highly formalized and automated. One of the goals of Mead and Conway's early work in the VLSI area was to permit \ordinary engineers" to perform design [12]. Prior to their work, VLSI design was the exclusive domain of highly trained and experienced specialists. Other engineering domains (e.g., MEMS design) have not had the bene t of the same level of formalism and automation in design, and engineering design in these areas remains the province of highly trained and experienced specialists. Work recently begun in several research groups (including our own) aims to permit rapid, accurate, conservative mask-layout synthesis of MEMS in a way analogous to present-day VLSI design. The long-range objective is to enable a MEMS designer to specify a desired micro-mechanical function (e.g., a mechanical spring with particular characteristics), and have a system automatically generate the information (mask-layout, and other fabrication instructions) to create the shape that exhibits the desired function. This approach will mean that MEMS designers will be able to concentrate on the desired function of the device, rather than the details of its physical manifestation. Thus the goal is: