On similar projects, Quanscient Allsolve helps me get to results faster, especially because it makes it easier to move from our semiconductor layout CAD files to a working simulation model and it offers a simple, well focused, web-based environment.

Maurice DelafosseCo-founder, Digitho Technologies Inc.

Client

Industry

Semiconductor manufacturing, MEMS for photolithography

Problem to be solved

Digitho Technologies needed a reliable, cost-effective and scalable simulation environment for coupled mechanical (structural) and electrostatic analysis of micrometric MEMS structures containing nanometric layers. Digitho also wanted a more efficient way to create simulation models from semiconductor layout CAD files while reducing the need to manage dedicated computing infrastructure.

Benefits and results

Quanscient Allsolve has provided Digitho Technologies with an accessible and scalable simulation environment, priced according to the computation actually used, for its current MEMS work. Allsolve has helped the company reach results faster on similar, relatively straightforward simulations, simplified model creation from GDS files, and enabled Digitho’s first demonstration of opto-electro-mechanical simulation at the micrometric scale. In one practical application, simulation identified the device design expected to deliver the best response before physical testing, and the result was subsequently confirmed by measurement.

About Digitho Tehcnologies Inc.

Digitho Technologies develops hardware for semiconductor manufacturing based on patented photolithography technology.

The company is developing a system designed to replace a conventional photomask with a reprogrammable alternative. The technology is intended to enable standard photolithography steppers and scanners to operate as direct photolithography equipment thus getting the best of both worlds: resolution and throughput.

Maurice Delafosse is one of the company’s founders. He manages the operations and co-design the technology and the products.

Simulation plays an important role in this development process because Digitho’s technology uses semiconductor devices itself and combines multiphysics effects of various scales. Simulation saves Digitho several manufacturing rounds thus time, money and resources.

Simulation challenges in semiconductor and MEMS development

Digitho works with MEMS structures whose dimensions can be micrometric while individual layers are nanometric.

This creates a demanding simulation environment, particularly when mechanical (structural) and electrostatic behavior must be considered together.

One of the main practical challenges was model creation. Depending on the device, preparing a usable simulation model could involve importing layers, performing extrusions, controlling geometry details and translating semiconductor design data into a physical model suitable for simulation.

Cost and flexibility were also important factors. Digitho wanted access to powerful simulation capabilities without having to invest in a broad software environment that exceeded the company’s actual requirements. Digitho therefore began looking for a solution that could scale more naturally with its simulation needs and computational usage.

Discovering Quanscient Allsolve

Quanscient was first brought to Maurice’s attention by one of his associates, who had encountered the company during an event.

Because the company was already looking for a more cost-effective and scalable simulation solution, Digitho decided to evaluate Allsolve.

One of Maurice’s first impressions was the simplicity of the interface. At first, its streamlined appearance seemed unusually minimal for a platform offering advanced multiphysics capabilities. As he began using the software, however, the structure became clearer. Common simulation tasks could be set up through a relatively simple interface, while scripting provided a way to access more advanced functionality when required.

For Maurice, Allsolve is the most accessible simulation tool he has used so far, and among the best for MEMS model creation and integration.

From GDS files to simulation results

A particularly important benefit for Digitho has been the workflow for creating physical models from existing design files.

The company works with GDS files as part of its semiconductor and MEMS development process. Maurice found Allsolve’s import functionality intuitive and well suited to the majority of his current modeling requirements. This has had a direct impact on time to results.

For similar, relatively straightforward projects, Digitho has been able to reach simulation results faster with Allsolve. Maurice identified the ease of starting a physical model from existing CAD GDS data as one of the main reasons for this improvement.

The platform has also provided Digitho with a cost-effective and scalable environment for demonstrating opto-electro-mechanical simulation at the micrometric scale, an important step for a product whose behavior ultimately spans several areas of physics.

Using Quanscient Allsolve to guide engineering decisions

Allsolve has also been used as a practical decision-support tool during product development.

Beyond individual simulation tasks, Maurice has also used Allsolve to investigate technical questions that inform Digitho’s broader development strategy and help evaluate different paths forward.

In one case, Digitho was evaluating several variations of a device to determine which would provide the best response to the same input signal. The team was preparing to perform electrical-optical measurements across the different devices, measuring the change in transmission relative to the power applied to the system.

Before carrying out the complete experimental comparison, Maurice used Allsolve to perform an initial simulation pass. Based on the simulation, he identified the device expected to provide the strongest response. That result was subsequently confirmed by the team’s measurements.

The exercise allowed Digitho to identify the most promising design earlier in the evaluation process and saved the team a significant amount of time.

While Digitho has not yet completed enough full design-simulation-redesign cycles to quantify the overall impact, its experience so far has already demonstrated clear practical value in the development process.

Cloud-based simulation without managing HPC infrastructure

For Digitho, one of the strongest advantages of Allsolve’s cloud-based architecture is the ability to access computational resources without managing the underlying simulation hardware.

As both an engineer with an IT background and a founder building a technology company, Maurice does not want to spend development time maintaining supercomputers, dealing with overheating hardware, or investing in additional HPC-enabled graphics resources. With Allsolve, that infrastructure is handled through the platform, allowing Digitho to focus on simulation and product development instead.

The cloud-based architecture also makes it possible to reach simulation work from outside the main workstation. Maurice has, for example, used Allsolve from a mobile device to check the progress of running simulations and review selected parameters.

For Digitho, this combination of managed computational infrastructure and flexible access makes it easier to concentrate on the engineering work itself rather than the systems required to support it.

Maurice also sees Allsolve’s pricing model as part of this advantage. Because computation is priced according to the compute resources actually used rather than as a broad software package, the cost scales with Digitho’s real simulation workload, which he describes as the right approach for a tool whose value ultimately comes down to computation.

With Allsolve, I don’t have to worry about managing the simulation hardware behind the scenes. The infrastructure is handled for me, so I can focus on the engineering work itself.

Maurice DelafosseCo-founder, Digitho Technologies Inc.

Working with the Allsolve Agent

After the initial introduction and demonstration of the platform, Maurice has mainly relied on Allsolve Agent for ongoing guidance and support. Allsolve Agent has been highly efficient in finding answers to his day-to-day questions, without needing to contact customer service directly.

He uses both for practical guidance, such as understanding how to perform specific tasks, locating the relevant documentation, and following links to the technical information he needs ; and for simulations automatic setup and optimization.

Maurice has found Allsolve Agent accurate and useful for these purposes.

A positive experience with room to explore further

Within a few months of adoption, Allsolve has already established a strong role in Digitho’s current MEMS simulation workflow.

Digitho is continuing to expand its use of the platform and explore more advanced capabilities, including multi-factor parameterization, geometry parameterization, batches of simulation jobs, design exploration, and output and report generation and formatting.

At its current stage of adoption, Allsolve has already demonstrated practical value through accessible model creation, simulation execution, and cloud-based computation.

Based on this experience, Maurice said he would recommend the platform without hesitation to MEMS design teams looking for a simulation tool, adding that credible alternatives in the market benefit the whole design community.

Future multiphysics development

Digitho’s product is inherently multiphysics, combining structural, electromagnetic and optical behavior. This makes an integrated simulation environment particularly valuable for the company’s development work.

Allsolve already supports important parts of Digitho’s current MEMS simulation needs, particularly in structural and electromagnetic analysis. The company is now exploring how the platform’s optical simulation capabilities can further extend that workflow for its specific application.

As this evaluation progresses, Digitho sees the potential to bring an even larger share of its multiphysics simulation work into a single environment. This would allow Digitho to build on the capabilities it is already using while expanding Allsolve’s role across additional areas of product development.

Conclusion

Quanscient Allsolve has given Digitho Technologies a practical simulation environment for MEMS development.

The platform has helped the company create models more efficiently from GDS data, reach results faster on similar straightforward simulations and access computational resources without maintaining dedicated HPC infrastructure.

It has also supported Digitho’s first demonstration of opto-electro-mechanical simulation at the micrometric scale and has already been used to guide a real engineering decision that was subsequently confirmed through physical measurement.

Maurice Delafosse also sees Quanscient’s cloud-native approach as well positioned for the direction simulation software is taking and is looking forward to seeing how the platform continues to evolve.

As Digitho continues exploring more advanced functionality and evaluating Allsolve across the broader multiphysics requirements of its product, the platform has the potential to play an increasingly important role in the company’s simulation workflow.

Accelerating MEMS simulation at Digitho Technologies with Quanscient Allsolve