How simulation helps
At the micro and nano scale, the behaviors that govern a device are often invisible and hard to measure with instruments. These behaviors include capillary forces, surface tension, diffusion, heat transport, and the mechanics of thin films.
When each prototype costs another wafer or another tool, trial and error gets expensive fast. With simulation, you can ask “what would happen if…” across a wide range of designs and operating conditions before you commit to hardware. You then arrive at the lab with a short list of candidates that are likely to work, instead of a long list to test one at a time.
- Explore a design space broadly before you build anything physical.
- Understand the often counterintuitive small-scale physics that determines how the device behaves.
- Reduce the number of prototype-and-test cycles in the R&D loop.
- Reduce the risk of scaling up from a working lab process to production.
Related applications
Much of the work in these areas depends on micro- and nano-scale modeling.
Clean Energy
Flow batteries, fusion-target physics, and novel solar. Transport and electrochemistry at very small scales determine how well these technologies perform.
Medical Devices & Pharma
Microfluidic diagnostics, blood-contacting devices, and drug delivery. Micro-scale flow and mechanics determine how these devices perform.