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SEMulator3D Virtual Fabrication Bundle

All SEMulator3D users will be upgraded to SEMulator Virtual Fabrication Bundle free of charge. SEMulator3D Virtual Fabrication Bundle includes:


Coventor's Platforms

Coventor's platforms help address the challenges of advanced semiconductor fabrication and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) design automation.

CoventorMP

The CoventorMP platform provides a unified environment for MEMS design, starting from fully parametic deign entry to the production of functional models that can be simulated at all levels of abstraction. Comprises MEMS+ and CoventorWare with MEMS extended analyses.

SEMulator3D Virtual Fabrication Bundle

Starting from input design data, SEMulator3D Virtual Fabrication Bundle follows an integrated process flow description to create the virtual equivalent of the complex 3D structures created in the fab. Comprises SEMulator3D Basic, SEMulator3D Advanced Modeling and SEMulator3D Automation.


MEMS+

MEMS+ provides a standard methodology for MEMS+IC design. Interfacing to the Cadence Virtuoso and the MathWorks MATLAB and Simulink environments, it provides a common platform and efficient methodology for MEMS and IC designers, bridging the gap between the accuracy required by MEMS designers and the simulation speed required by ASIC designers It enables MEMS designers to explore device concepts and optimize designs much faster than using conventional field solvers.

Users select parametric elements from the library to assemble their design and simulate their designs in a built-in simulator, MathWorks MATLAB and Simulink, or Cadence Virtuoso. After simulating, users visualize and animate the simulation results in 3D.

The Advanced Sensor Modeling package is also included which enables the export simplified models in Verilog-A or MROM format. These models can then be analysed in simulators such as Virtuoso/Spectre or MATLAB/Simulink. Also included in this package is the ability to import Finite Element models into MEMS+.

MEMS+ includes:

MEMS+ is based on a unique MEMS-specific library of high-order, parametric finite elements. These elements provide the accuracy and generality of finite-element analysis (FEA) yet runs extremely fast compared to conventional FEA. Designers can simulate their entire MEMS device, including gas damping effects and control circuitry. With MEMS+, designers can run time-dependent and closed-loop simulations that reveal dynamic behavior that here-to-fore could only be observed and quantified through time-consuming measurements on prototypes.

With MEMS+ for MathWorks, designs created in MEMS+ Innovator are immediately available as Simulink compatible models. MEMS+ supports system simulation in Simulink and device simulation in MATLAB, of the MEMS device and its surrounding signal processing or control circuits. MEMS+ for MathWorks expands the available analysis capabilities from pure transient simulations to DC, DC transfer, Modal and AC analysis. MATLAB or Simulink simulation results can be loaded back into the MEMS+ Scene3D module for 3-D viewing.

With MEMS+ for Cadence, designs created in MEMS+ Innovator can be automatically converted into IC compatible models and parametric layout (PCells) for the Cadence Virtuoso design environment. MEMS+ for Cadence supports MEMS+IC co-simulation in Spectre and SpectreRF where the simulator will connect, via the Cadence C Model Interface (CMI), with the MEMS+ component library to evaluate the MEMS behavioral model at each simulation point. Simulation results can be loaded into the MEMS+ Scene3D module for 3-D viewing.

The parametric nature and speed advantages of MEMS+ models enable users to solve problems that traditional approaches cannot address. With MEMS+, designers can investigate sensitivity to manufacturing variables and study complex effects like cross coupling between mechanical degrees of freedom, quadrature, electrostatic spring softening, thermo-elastic noise, levitation, and substrate deformation.

With MEMS+ you can:

  • Rapidly explore design concepts versus performance specifications such as sensitivity, linearity, frequency response, or actuation time.
  • Predict performance sensitivity to design and manufacturing variables.
  • Optimize designs for performance, temperature insensitivity, manufacturability, and yield.
  • Perform transient simulations of MEMS actuators with fully coupled electro-mechanics and squeezed-film damping effects.
  • Simulate closed-loop behavior of sensors and resonators in Simulink.
  • Simulate MEMS and electronics (ICs) together in the Cadence Virtuoso environment.
  • Predict signal-to noise ratio for MEMS microphones.
  • Include package and substrate deformation effects on MEMS device performance.
  • Selectively exclude non-linear electro-mechanical effects to optimize simulation speed.
  • View 3D animations of mode shapes, time-harmonic behavior, and transient analyses.
Coventor Mems+

Coventor's MEMS+ design platform accelerates the development of complex 3D systems with state-of-the-art actuators, accelerometers and gyroscopes, microphones and other types of MEMS devices.


CoventorWare, with MEMS extended analyses

CoventorWare is a fully integrated MEMS design environment. The suite has many MEMS-specific features for modeling and simulating a wide range of MEMS devices, including inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyros) microphones, resonators, and actuators. The included field solvers provide comprehensive coverage of MEMS-specific multi-physics, such as electrostatics, coupled electro-mechanics, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, and damping effects.

CoventorWare's front-end design-entry capabilities are well integrated with the Coventor suite of field solvers, but can also be used as a stand-alone front end to 3rd-party FEA tools such as Ansys.

The Coventor front end includes:
  • A material properties database, pre-populated with commonly used MEMS materials.
  • A process editor for providing a geometric description of the fabrication process.
  • A full-featured, hierarchical layout editor with MEMS-specific features like support for true curves.
  • A preprocessor for viewing 3D models and preparing them for analysis.
  • 2D and 3D import/export to widely used formats like GDS2, DXF, SAT, IGES and STEP.
  • Mesh generation and export to Ansys.
CoventorWare Example

CoventorWare's suite of field solvers have many MEMS-specific features for modeling and simulating a wide range of MEMS devices. The included field solvers provide comprehensive coverage of MEMS-specific multi-physics, such as electrostatics, coupled electro-mechanics, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, and damping effects.

Many MEMS devices rely on coupling between electrostatic fields and moving mechanical parts as their principle of operation, whether for sensing, actuation, or transduction. These electrostatic fields can be simulated with extremely high accuracy with the solvers, in order to accurately predict derived quantities such as electrostatic force, pull-in/lift-off voltage and electrostatic spring softening.

Piezo-electric effects are exploited in energy harvesting devices and high-frequency resonators. And piezo-resistive effects are commonly used in absolute pressure sensors as well as specialty accelerometers. There are also MEMS actuators that rely on electro-thermo-mechanical effects (Joule heating) as the main motive force. The field solvers in CoventorWare can accurately and efficiently simulate all of these effects in real-world designs.

The CoventorWare suite of FEM / BEM solvers allow:
  • Modal analysis.
  • Quasi-static coupled electro-mechanics (pull-in, lift-off, electrostatic spring softening).
  • Harmonic analysis.
  • Fast-frequency-sweep algorithm for piezoelectric BAW resonators.
  • Gas damping for any 3D geometry.
  • Energy dissipation from thermo-elastic damping and anchor losses.
  • Sensitivity analysis of piezo-resistive sensors.
  • Detailed stress analysis.
CoventorWare Example

Simulated displacement due to fabrication-induced residual stress in mechanical layer of an accelerometer.


SEMulator3D

Base Version

SEMulator3D Datasheet

SEMulator3D is a powerful 3D semiconductor and MEMS process modeling platform that offers wide ranging technology development capabilities. Based on highly efficient physics-driven voxel modeling technology, SEMulator3D has a unique ability to model complete process flows.

Using unique physics-driven 3D modeling technology, the SEMulator3D modeling engine can model a wide variety of unit process steps. Each process step requires only a few geometric and physical input parameters that are easy to understand and calibrate. Just as in an actual fab, upstream unit process parameters (such as deposition conformality, etch anisotropy, selectivity, etc.) interact with each other and design data in a complex way to impact the final device structure.

SEMulator3D Viewer shows a 3D rendering of the virtual device model at every step in the process. Step-by-step visualization can aid in understanding process failure modes and other complex process phenomena. Cross-sectioning and dimensional measurements can be performed anywhere on the 3D model. SEMulator3D Viewer has many advanced capabilities, including automatic animation of process steps and automatic export to Microsoft PowerPoint.

Cross section view

CMOS -MEMS cross section view.

SEMulator3D Advanced Modelling

SEMulator3D Advanced Modelling

The SEMulator3D Advanced Modeling package is a powerful, predictive modeling tool to build process understanding, mitigate technology risk and eliminate cycles of learning in technology development. With minimal input parameters, process engineers can gain significant understanding of the behavior and variability of step in the context of the full technology flow.

SEMulator3D Automation

SEMulator3D Automation

The SEMulator3D Automation package enables automated parameter variation studies and related data analysis, and includes both SEMulator3D Metrology and SEMulator3D Expeditor. SEMulator3D Metrology mimics actual metrology operations, providing in-line measurements of device structure. SEMulator3D Expeditor performs parameter variation studies, collecting related data for analysis.


Coventor Classroom Teaching Licenses

The Microelectronics Support Centre at RAL is pleased to offer Coventor Classroom Teaching Licenses to EUROPRACTICE members.

EUROPRACTICE Coventor Classroom Teaching licenses are intended for institutes to do mass class teaching of their students, in cases where they have too few regular EUROPRACTICE non-commercial research and training license seats for that purpose. The Classroom Teaching licenses will be subject to all the usage restrictions of the regular EUROPRACTICE Coventor licenses.

Teaching licenses are available for the following products:

Teaching licenses comprise 20 full licenses for a 6 month duration within a 12 month window and are free of charge but subject to approval by Coventor. To be eligible for teaching licenses, a university must pay an annual charge for a purchased license for that product. As part of the ordering procedure, universities must supply a syllabus for the proposed training course.

The Coventor Classroom Teaching Licenses prices and order forms can be accessed via the EUROPRACTICE Members Only webpages.


Operating Systems

CoventorMP

  • Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6.9 64-bit

SEMulator3D

  • Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and 7 64-bit