The promise of new devices and systems whose macroscopic behavior is driven by physical phenomena at the nanometer-scale can only be realized by the intelligent design and analysis of these systems with a well-structured engineering design methodology. The goal of this work is to develop such a methodology and tools that support design and analysis of these systems at multiple levels, from the nano- to the macro-scale. The need for a design methodology is driven by the complexity of the emerging nano-technologies on which these systems are based. First, the systems span engineering disciplines (e.g., mechanical, electrical, and biological) and energy domains (e.g., electrical, mechanical, fluidic, and chemical); therefore, design, simulation and analysis tools must work across a multitude of domains. Second, the systems have processes that work at vastly different rates, from femto-seconds to hours, and thus span orders of magnitude in time scales. Finally, the unique property of these systems is that electro-chemical phenomena at the molecular, or nano-scale sets the properties and controls the behavior of systems at the macro, or human-scale. Thus, it is necessary to provide the design engineer with tools that span energy domains, time and length scales in order to design and analyze the ensemble behavior of these systems. Therefore, the goal of this research is to create a computer aided design (CAD) framework for the intelligent design and analysis of multi-domain, micro- and nano-scale systems. We will initially focus on sensor and actuator systems. These systems are unique in that they leverage the manufacturing infrastructures of VLSI circuits and directed chemical self-assembly together with the ability to utilize sophisticated electronics to interface sensing components with digital signal processing. Very small physical changes (energies on the order of femto-Joules) can be detected, amplified, and fed to digital signal processing computers. Similarly, the small dimensions of the devices enable high-frequency energy conversion or modulation controlled by conventional digital electronics. The results of this work will be new behavioral modeling methodologies and system-level simulation tools to enable multi-domain design flows based on techniques that have proven successful for electronics micro-systems design. Given these tools, micro and nano-system designers will be able to predict the behavior of these complex systems without recourse to time consuming and costly prototyping. This will both increase the number of new systems designed as well as reduce the time-to-market for the next generation of micro and nano-technology based systems. Beyond the direct results of this work, the broader impact of this research will come from three efforts. First, will be the development of a new course and education of a group of graduate and undergraduate students in interdisciplinary engineering: developing CAD tools, using those tools to perform design and analysis, fabricating and testing completed designs. Second, will be an expanded infrastructure at the University of Pittsburgh based on collaborations with the John Swanson Center for Micro-and Nano-Systems. Third will be the dissemination of tools, techniques and methodologies for design of multi-domain micro and nano-systems.
