COMSOL API Based Toolbox for the Mixed-Level Modeling of Squeeze-Film Damping in MEMS: Simulation and Experimental Validation

M. Niessner[1], G. Schrag[1], J. Iannacci[2], and G. Wachutka[1]
[1]Institute for Physics of Electrotechnology, Munich University of Technology, Munich, Germany
[2]MEMS Research Unit, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Povo di Trento, Italy
Published in 2011

We present an easy-to-use toolbox for the automated generation of reduced-order mixed-level models for the evaluation of squeeze-film damping in microelectromechanical systems. The toolbox is programmed in JAVA and heavily exploits the functionality provided by the COMSOL API.

The results obtained from mixed-level model simulation performed in COMSOL Multiphysics agree very well with experimental data. A benchmark of the mixed-level model against other state-of-the-art analytic squeeze-film damping models shows that the mixed-level model is the one with the highest accuracy.