Incredible speed

Many of the algorithms in IntelliSuite have been tailored for MEMS applications. For instance the ThermoElectroMechanical engine uses an algorithm called Exposed Face Meshing (EFM) that allows you to decouple the mechanical and electrostatic meshes.Consider a comb drive resonator as an example, the comb fingers have a high charge build-up but not a high mechanical stress build up; while other parts of the mechanism do not have a large electrostatic charge density. Our studies showed that the electrostatic mesh would need to be refined 100 times more than the mechanical mesh.Trying to capture both of these effects with a single concurrent mesh would require an extremely fine mesh, which would be computationally time consuming. EFM allows you to independently refine the electrostatic mesh only in the areas of high charge density and the mechanical mesh in areas of high stress density.

What does this mean practically? Well for one, EFM cuts down analysis time by over 90%. Simulations like 100-200 finger comb drives can be handled with ease while our competitors have to resort to reduced order toy models. The greater accuracy in modeling means that you can actually include important effects such as residual stresses and thermal gradients in your models. In addition, second order effects like levitation due to the ground plane can be handled effectively.

Microfluidics. Done right …

Most Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code available on the market was designed for either aircrafts and automobiles or for flow in pipes. These pieces of code are not optimized for microfluidics or bioMEMS.

Rather than taking a slap-dash quick-to-the-market approach with off-the-shelf code, we decided to write a full solver optimized for MEMS applications, from the ground up. At the same time we went way beyond the existing code bases by adding support for electrokinetic phenomenon, Red-Ox reactions, support for Acids, bases and ampholytes and for fluid-structure interaction. And to top it off we added advanced visualization algorithms to look at cross sectional profiles, velocity vectors and transients.

And were we pleased with the results! The code base is not only faster at solving microfludics problems but is the only MEMS specific code that can solve problems ranging from electrokinteic focusing, to electrophoresis to dielectrophoresis to electro-osmosis. This module is fine tuned for real world bioMEMS applications.

Making contact!

If you need to perform contact analysis of MEMS, you need IntelliSuite. While other MEMS CAD tools are limited to analyzing single dielectric layers, with artificial air stops, and make you specify contact faces a priori! IntelliSuite avoids such limitations. Our proprietary algorithms take into account multi-dielectric moving or deformable boundaries and help you locate the exact point of contact.

IntelliSuite's contact analysis goes way beyond the reduced order models and other gross simplifications and can help you model complex post-contact phenomenon such as hysterisis.

RF and microwave design. For mortals …

Let's face it, RF MEMS has remained the domain of the black arts. Now IntelliSuite makes it easy for anyone with a background in MEMS to navigate the pit falls of high frequeuncy analysis. Our RF MEMS module was designed with the user in mind, no arcane interfaces, no complex waveform models and best of all no $100 k + packages to purchase! Once again, we are first to market with a tool dedicated to making your life simple and your wallet happy!

Someone once suggested using the best tool for the best job. While Finite Element and Boundary Element tools have their plus points, they just don't cut it when it comes to RF MEMS. After exploring several options we decided to go with a new engine based on 3D Method of Moments. Best of all we were able to enhance the solver with support for lossy conductors and dielectric discontinuities.The result? Blazing speed and enhanced accuracy, making it the only integrated tool on the market for RF MEMS.

Footnotes: 1 See "An improved meshing technique and its applications in the analysis of large and complex MEMS Systems", Y. He, J.Marchetti, F. Maseeh