Automated Design for Micromachining: Vertical Support

Introduction

Figure 1: Layout for a vertical support without a POLY0 ground layer.

This cell implements part of a vertical support, which is used to construct free-standing devices. It implements the bulk of the flap. To complete the vertical support, staples hinges need to be attached to the base.

Figure 2: Layout for a vertical support with a POLY0 ground layer.

In a typical scenario, two vertical supports on staple hinges would flank a third plate to form a stable standing structure [1,2].

Theory

There is no theory for this parameterized cell.

Parameters

Any parameter may be modified, if necessary, to meet design rules. Typically, this involves increasing parameters that specify distances, so that minimum line width and minimum line spacing rules will not be violated. This has been extended to the convention of specifying a zero for some parameters to obtain an instance of the minimum size.

In addition to the parameters listed below, several technology parameters also influence the implementation of parameterized cells. This data must be present in the technology library.

Table 1: Parameters for the 'vertical_support' parameterized cell.
Name	Description	Range	Units	P1	P2
height	The distance from the base of the vertical support to the bottom of the slit. Subtract the height added by the staple hinges when determining what value to enter here.	[0,∞)	um	+	+
width	The width of the vertical support at the base.	[0,∞)	um	+	+
slit_width1	The width of the slit at the deepest part. This value should be the same as the nominal thickness of the structure to be supported.	[0,∞)	um	+	+
slit_width2	The width of the slit at the middle. This value should be minimally larger that the thickness of the structure to be supported.	[slit_width1,∞)	um	+	+
slit_height1	The height of the slit from the deepest part to the middle.	[0,∞)	um	+	+
slit_height2	The height of the slit from the middle to the absolute top of the support.	[0,∞)	um	+	+
include_poly0	Check this box to include a POLY0 ground plane under the vertical support.	true/false	-	+	+

References

[1] K.S.J. Pister, M.W. Judy, S.R. Burgett, and R.S. Fearing. "Microfabricated hinges," Sensors and Actuators A. vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 249-56 (1992).

[2] M.C. Wu, L.Y. Lin, and S.S. Lee. "Micromachined Free-Space Integrated Optics," Proceedings of the SPIE. vol. 2291, pp. 40-51 (1994).