Schiek R., Schmidt R.
Sandia National Laboratories, US
Keywords: design, mask, MEMS, optimization, topology
To accelerate MEMS design for surface micromachining applications, an algorithm and associated design tool have been created which translates designers’ 3D models into 2D lithographic production masks. Typically, designing a surface micromachined, MEMS device requires the creation of a two-dimensional mask set describing how layers of material are used to construct the three-dimensional object. Mask sets are specific to a fixed production process and are effectively the tooling required to manufacture a device. This design tool was developed and implemented such that when given a three-dimensional object it can infer from the object’s topology the two-dimensional masks needed to produce that object with surface micromachining. The masks produced by this design tool can be generic, process independent masks or, if given process constraints, specific for a target process allowing 3D designs to be carried across multiple processes.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Technical Proceedings of the 2004 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 2
Published: March 7, 2004
Pages: 291 - 294
Industry sector: Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: MEMS & NEMS Devices, Modeling & Applications
ISBN: 0-9728422-8-4