MEMS and NEMS Simulation

Because MEMS and NEMS touch on so many application areas, the ideal simulation tool must follow suite and provide a vast range of coupled multidomain physical effects. In reality, no single tool caters to all the needs of the MEMS community. Hence, MEMS designers carry the burden tofind theappropriate toolsand strategy for their task. Fortunately, many alternative routes exist to achieve a given goal, but some insight is needed to get the most out of the simulators, especially if the target isto use simulation to achieve a design advantage. In this chapter we take a closer look at what is out there, and at the key features of each simulation method. We develop a simulation strategy to maximize the benefit from simulation, picking out a couple of key areas that are currently the focusof commercial applications. Toround off the chapter, we illustrate the ideas with some concrete applications from our own work.