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MEMS Design and Analysis Support System Development (MemsONE) Project
Hidetoshi Kotera, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
been designed so that first-time users and engineers
with relatively little experience can design MEMS
devices with less anxiety. The material databaseincludes sample measurements of material properties
obtained by domestic MEMS foundries during trial
manufacturing. Results obtained by the user when
designing MEMS devices on the computer can be usedfor trial manufacturing at a foundry service. (Note:material properties can change due to various factors
and cannot be guaranteed.) The MemsONE system
also incorporates an emulation program for calculating
possible mask shapes once the final formation isentered, as well as a mask layout editor and functions
for simulating such processes as etching and thermal
and photonic nanoimprinting.
The MemsONE Project for developing this system
has been subsidized by NEDO, enabling specialists
from about ten companies and fourteen universities toparticipate in the development between 2004 and 2006.
We sincerely hope that you will follow the progress of
the MemsONE Project and obtain the MemsONE
system for your own use in the spring of 2007.
General Concept of MemsONE System
Framework: GUI

User-friendly interface

Mask layout

Process recipes

CAD data converter

Automated lattice formation

Analytical settings

Plug-in interface

CAD modeler

Display of analytical results

Pre-/post-processors
for electromagnetic waves

Database interface

Mechanical simulator

Process simulator

Expanded functions

Strain/stress analysis

Anisotropic wet etching

Inverse process analysis

Electromagnetic field analysis

Dry etching

Bonding/packaging analysis

Piezoelectric analysis

Thin film deposition

Thermal analysis

Multi-process

Effects of ambient gas flow

Thermal nanoimprinting analysis

Coupling analysis

Photonic nanoimprinting analysis

Database manager

Knowledge database

Examples of typicaldevice structures andprocesses, and tutorials
Material andprocess database

Mechanical properties,
process configurations,
physical parameters for models
Material and process property
database for enhanced precision

Analytical function modules

External plug-in

Plug-in database

Research and Development Members and Implementation Structure

Electromagnetic
field analysis

Osaka Pref. Univ.
Okayama Univ.
Kagawa Univ.
Kyoto Univ.
Gunma Univ.
Tokyo Metropolitan Univ.
The Univ. of TokyoTokyo Inst. of Technology
Toyohashi Univ. of Technology

Nagoya Univ.
Niigata Univ.
Univ. of Hyogo

Piezoelectric
analysis

Material andprocess database

Stress/strain
analysis

Knowledge
database

Steps in manufacturing include planning, functional
design, basic design, trial production, functional
testing, design for mass-production, and trial massproduction. For manufacturing in the 21st century,computer-aided engineering (CAE) can be effective ineach step of manufacturing to reduce the amount of
trial production and to perform functional evaluationsin advance for more suitably examining structures,principles, mechanisms, and materials.
Used, in many fields, CAE enables the researcher
to virtually manufacture prototypes on a computer andto perform experiments to comprehend functions andphenomena of the object to be created. In MEMS R&D,
the structure of the object is very small, making it
difficult to grasp phenomena of the object throughdetailed measurements. Further, testing prototypes
requires as much time and expense as normal
equipment development. In this sense, CAE can be aneffective tool.
There are four fields within CAE, (1) computeraided design (CAD), (2) computer-aided analysis(CAA), (3) computer-aided testing (CAT), and (4)computer-aided machining or manufacturing (CAM).
CAD and CAA are the most important functions inresearch and development. Most researchers andengineers in MEMS R&D employ one of many generalpurpose or proprietary CAE systems. Unfortunately,commercial CAE systems are terribly expensive andare prohibitive to beginners because of their extensivefunctions. The design and development of any
equipment requires knowledge and experience in thematerials, mechanisms, and structural processes
involved. Even if one is versed in the usage of CAEsystems, it is difficult to determine which materials to
select and which mechanisms to use, as well as how toevaluate a device that has been manufactured virtuallyon a computer. Hence, a support environment is vital
when using this system. In the case of MEMS, theproperties of the finished materials and structuresdiffer according to the equipment and conditions
involved in production. Therefore, even if the device
can be virtually manufactured on a computer, muchtime is still required for specifying conditions for
actually manufacturing the device.
With this background, the objective of theMemsONE Project is to provide a CAE system that isreadily available and easy to use for engineers andresearchers aspiring to develop MEMS devices.
In the spring of 2007, the MemsONE system will be
released in Japan free of charge. In addition to a CAD
system for designing MEMS devices and various CAA
systems for understanding such phenomena as how avirtually developed device will function, the MemsONE
system has a knowledge database containing
contributions from many experts in MEMS and a
database of materials used in MEMS. The system has

Plug-ininterface
Photonic
nanoimprinting
analysis

Display ofanalyticalresults

Thermalnanoimprinting
analysis
Effects ofambient gas
flow

Multiprocess

Coupling
analysis

Anisotropic
wet etching

Dryetching

DBIF

Thin film
deposition

Hokkaido Univ.

Mask layout

5CAD
modeler

Automatedlatticeformation

Pre-/post-processors
for electromagnetic
waves

Process
recipesMizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc.

Analyticalsettings

GUI

Data format
forcommercial
softwareInverseprocess
analysis

DB

Thermalanalysis

CAD data
converter

Bonding/
packaging
analysisNewfunctions