“Consumers' increasing demand for miniaturized Electronic products and Internet of Things (IoT) products brings new challenges to design experts of micro-components (for example, actuators, controllers, drivers, sensors, and transmitters). From responsive devices and wearable monitors to energy-saving office lighting and factory automation, engineers use reliable and innovative products to build a bridge between miniature semiconductor components and our macro world. This change in demand stimulates engineers to explore and innovate in the virtual world of numerical simulation and discover new solutions.
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STMicroelectronics engineers use numerical simulation methods to optimize various semiconductor application solutions
Consumers' increasing demand for miniaturized electronic products and Internet of Things (IoT) products brings new challenges to design experts of micro-components (for example, actuators, controllers, drivers, sensors, and transmitters). From responsive devices and wearable monitors to energy-saving office lighting and factory automation, engineers use reliable and innovative products to build a bridge between miniature semiconductor components and our macro world. This change in demand stimulates engineers to explore and innovate in the virtual world of numerical simulation and discover new solutions.
As the world’s leading semiconductor design and manufacturing company, STMicroelectronics has more than 7,500 R&D personnel. Lucia Zullino, a technical research and development engineer at STMicroelectronics, explained the direction of their work. “In our research field, we need to analyze very small microstructures, and understand the interaction between these microstructures and large packages of different configurations in various environments and application fields.” The choice of materials and design is important for semiconductor manufacturing. It is very important, and numerical simulation plays an important role in material selection and performance parameter evaluation. “Most of our work is done on COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software, which is used to verify assumptions and optimize products,” Zullino explained. “STMicroelectronics has about 30 engineers using this software. Although we belong to different departments and work in different regions, we insist on accumulating and sharing the knowledge of mathematical modeling techniques used in the past several projects. “
Use Multiphysics simulation software to develop products
Simulation technology is used to understand the interaction of multiple physical fields in each product development stage. For example, to optimize the epitaxial reactor to shorten the wafer production cycle; to control the flow and deformation of reactants during the wet etching process; to explore the die and package Micro interaction. In addition to developing chips, STMicroelectronics engineers are also committed to the design and development of micro-actuators, such as optical recognition technology and micro-mirrors used in cameras. Another project related to actuators is the use of simulation methods to study the performance of inkjet print heads and compare the effects of two different inkjet principles: inkjet by pressure generated by air bubbles or using PZT (made of zirconium titanic acid Lead-made ceramic material) driven thin film inkjet.
Through simulation analysis methods, researchers can determine that thin-film piezoelectric print heads are better compatible with a variety of inks, print faster, print output quality is higher, and print heads have a longer life.
Monitoring the health of concrete
Over the years, governments and companies have been applying various sensor technologies to monitor the performance of concrete. In a development project, we used simulation methods to analyze the properties of concrete and predict the ability of embedded sensors (Figure 1) to monitor age-varying parameters and transmit signals to the surface. Italy has begun to apply this structural health monitoring (SHM) system in various building structures to assess the health of concrete and record any unexpected stresses that may affect structural integrity and system reliability.
Figure 1. The appearance and structure of the embedded structural health monitoring sensor, the blue part is the sensor.
Wearable medical monitoring equipment
In the past few years, STMicroelectronics has developed many medical solutions. One of the prototype projects used patches to measure the bioimpedance of human internal organs (such as the heart) (Figure 2). The researchers used medical imaging data of human organs to create a 3D model (Figure 3), run an AC/DC simulation program in the frequency domain (Figure 4), and evaluate the influence of electrode shape and position on the measurement of physiological parameters. The simulation result (Figure 5) has a high correlation with the actual measured value, and it is possible to develop a wearable configurable patch that can indicate physiological changes. These sensors will enable doctors to monitor various conditions of the heart and obtain real-time data in order to use the latest technology to provide patients with the best care.
Figure 2: Method of measuring the bioimpedance of human organs
Figure 3. Use CAD tools (middle) to post-process the computed tomography (CT) image (left), and then interpolate to generate the volume required for analysis (right) to build a 3D model
Figure 4. Simulation results of the voltage and current distribution in the human torso
Figure 5. Comparison of measured and simulated bioimpedance values for different electrode shapes and positions.
We can evaluate materials and structures faster, and screen the best materials and structures, which means less testing time, more effective technical decisions, and faster business decisions.
Simulation technology can solve increasingly complex design problems
“Through simulation, we have discovered many potential problems and can better optimize semiconductor design for the external world. Now, simulation can speed up the product design of internal and external customers,” Zullino commented. She and her colleagues believe that there are opportunities to use Multiphysics simulation in all aspects of development. She revealed that the research on the humidity and corrosion possibility inside the package is underway. “We can evaluate materials and structures faster and screen the best materials and structures, which means less testing time, more effective technical decisions, and faster business decisions,” Zullino concluded. “Compared with physical testing, we can implement new solutions and verify at zero cost. Simulation is one of the key tools to promote innovation.”
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