Linear, nonlinear and mixed-regime analysis of electrostatic MEMS

Electrostatically actuated microstructures can undergo large deformations for certain geometric configurations and applied voltages. The use of linear theories in such cases can produce inaccurate results. By selecting a range of geometric parameters (such as beam lengths, thicknesses and gaps), we identify the regimes, where linear theories become inaccurate and necessitate the use of nonlinear theories. In cases where linear theories produce inaccurate results, we propose a mixed-regime approach to combine Linear and nonlinear theories. We show that a mixed-regime approach can be more efficient compared to a full nonlinear simulation of the electrostatically actuated structure. This paper also proposes the use of meshless techniques for efficient simulation of linear and nonlinear behavior in electrostatic MEMS. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.