Introduction to COMSOL Multiphysics

San Diego, CA
September 20, 2005
Mina Sierou, Ph.D.
Comsol Inc.

Contents
Morning Session

Introduction
Demonstration of the modeling
procedure

Workshop: Electro-thermal
analysis of semiconductor device
3D stationary
3D parametric

Workshop: Mesh Control

Afternoon Session

Hands-on modeling workshops:

Flow over a Backstep
Electric Impedance Center
Thermal Stresses in a Layered
Plate
MEMS Thermal Bilayer Valve
Using Interpolation Function
Using Mapped Meshes

COMSOL The company

Founded 1986
Development of FEMLAB
/COMSOL Multiphysics (in
Sweden)
Business: software, support,
courses, consulting

Today, 120 employees worldwide.

Offices in US (Boston, L.A.), UK,
Germany, France, Sweden, Finland,
Norway, and Denmark
Distributor network covering the rest
of the world

Highlights of COMSOL Multiphysics

General purpose Multiphysics FEA code
MATLAB/COMSOL Script integration
COMSOL Multiphysics can be run stand-alone
or with MATLAB for richer set of functions
Can use MATLAB or COMSOL Script as a scripting language

Easy to learn and use

Extremely adaptable and extensible

The COMSOL Multiphysics Product Line

And introducing

COMSOL Script

CAD import module + Mesh import

In 3.2 we can import IGES,
STEP, SAT, X_T, Pro/E, CATIA,
Inventor, VDA files with:
More than 1000 faces
Sliver faces, spikes, short edges
and other errors

COMSOL Multiphysics Users

Rice, Texas A & M, UH

UT Austin, UT Arlington
Stanford, Caltech, JPL
UCs, UW
MIT, Harvard, Princeton
Y NL
Y=LA,LL,LB,PN, Sandia
NASA research centers
NIST, NREL, USGS, SWRI
NIH

Shell, Exxon Mobil

Schlumberger, Dow Chemicals
Northrop-Grumman, Raytheon
Applied Materials, Agilent
Boeing, Lockheed-Martin
GE, 3M
Merck, Roche
Procter and Gamble, Gillette
Energizer, Eveready
Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Intel
Nissan, Sony, Toshiba
ABB, Volkswagen, GlaxoSmithKline
Philip-Morris

Mathematical Modeling
Mathematical description of physical phenomena translates
into equations
Description of changes in space and time results in Partial
Differential Equations (PDEs)
Complex geometries and phenomena require modeling with
complex equations and boundary conditions
Resulting PDEs rarely have analytical solutions

Numerical tools are necessary

Material Balances
Material balances are usually described by an equation of the form

u
j F
t
where j is the flux vector and F a source term

j x j y j z
u

F
t
x y z
u
j x x j x j y y j y j z z j z

F
t
x
y
z
xyz

u
yz ( j x x j x ) xz ( j y y j y )
t
xy ( j z z j z ) xyzF

General PDE Form

u
da
F
t

R
n G

0R

inside domain

on domain boundary

Example: For Poissons equation, the corresponding general form implies

ux uy
R u.
All other coefficients are 0. (For later, note:

F 1

Coefficient Form PDE

If equation is linear, the general form can be expanded into a coefficient form:

u
da
t

transforms into

u
da
(cu u ) u au f
t
n (cu u ) qu g hT

hu r

Example: Poissons equation

u 1
u0

inside subdomain

on boundary

inside subdomain
on subdomain boundary

(Implies c=f=h=1 and all other coefficients are 0.)

Multiphysics Capabilities
Very different physical phenomena can be described with the
same general equations
Coupling of different physical formulations (multiphysics) is
thus straightforward in COMSOL Multiphysics
Resulting systems of equations can be solved sequentially or in
a fully-coupled formulation
Extended Multiphysics: Physics in different geometries can be
easily combined
Coupling variables can also be used to link different physics or
geometries

Support & Knowledgebase

support@comsol.com
www.comsol.com/support/knowledgebase

Worked Example A Simple Fin

Purpose of the model

Explain the modeling procedure in COMSOL Multiphysics
Show the use of pre-defined application modes in physics
mode
Introduce some very useful features for control of modeling
results

Problem definition
Heat transfer by conduction (Heat Conduction application
mode)
Linear equation, stationary solution
Different thermal conductivities can be defined in different
subdomains

Problem Definition

T1

Step 1
k1

symmetry

T2

kT n 0
Step 2
k 2 10 k1

k T 0
k1
k2

Modeling, Simulation and Analysis

Draw geometry
Define Boundary conditions
PDE specification/material parameters
Generate mesh
Solve (initial conditions, solver parameters)
Visualize solution, animation
Parametric analysis
Optional COMSOL Scripts/MATLAB interface (Optimization,
postprocessing, batch jobs etc)

Results

Example:
Thermal effects in an electric conductor

Introduction
Purpose: Introduce you to the general concepts of multiphysics
modeling methodology in COMSOL Multiphysics
The phenomena in this example involve the coupling of
thermal and electronic current balances.
The ohmic losses due to the devices limited conductivity
generate heat, which increases the conductors temperature and
thus also changes the materials conductivity. This implies that
a 2-way multiphysics coupling is in play.
Parameterization to study temperature as function of different
electrode potentials

Problem definition
Conductive film
Copper conductor

Solder joints

Problem definition

Heat balance:
( k T ) Q
Q V

Current balance:
-( V) = 0

0 1 T T0

Second Example: Mesh Control

Automated mesh generator
Suitable for some problems
But not always optimal

How can you to create a non-uniform mesh?

Mesh parameters menu
Mesh Quality

Thin Geometries
Scale problem / mesh / Unscale

Workshop Exercise: Mesh Control

Mesh parameters menu
Displaying Mesh Quality

Lunch Break

Back in 1 hour

Interpolation functions
Interpolation of measured data is commonly necessary when
analytical expressions for material properties are not available
New feature in 3.1
You can use interpolation function directly in the GUI (without
the need for MATLAB)
Data can be entered from a table (for 1D interpolation) or from
a text file (for multidimensional interpolation)
Example: Thermal conductivity as a function of temperature

Example:
Flow over a backstep

Thermal Flow over a Backstep

Single physics
Fluid dynamics

Multiphysics
You could add heat transfer and establish temperature profiles

Aim of the model

To give an overview of the modeling process in COMSOL Multiphysics
Standard CFD benchmark
Use both regular triangular and mapped meshes and compare the
solution
for various mesh densities

Problem definition
Step 1: Flow field (note form of input velocity)

Step 2: Heat transfer

300
330

Results: Stationary velocity profile

Results: Transient temperature profile

t=5

t=10

t=15

t=20

Concluding remarks
The model is simple to define and solve in COMSOL
Multiphysics.
The applications can be solved simultaneusly or sequentially
and for stationary or time dependent problems.
Different Reynolds numbers can be easily sampled

Example:
Electric Impedance Sensor

Introduction
Electric impedance measurement techniques are used for
imaging and detection
Geophysical imaging
Non-destructive testing
Medical imaging (Electrical Impedance Tomography)

Applying voltage to an object or a matrix containing different

materials and measuring the resulting potentials or current
densities
Frequency range: 1Hz < f < 1GHz

Main points
Use of Electromagnetics Module, Small Currents Application
Mode
Different Subdomains with different physical properties
Logical expressions can be used to modify the geometry

Geometry

Electrode

Air
Ground
Conductive medium

We will study how the lateral position of the air-filled cavity affects
the measured impedance

Domain Equation

Modelled with Small In-Plane Currents application in COMSOL Multiphysics

Valid for AC problems where inductive effects are negligible
The skin depth must be large compared to the object size

Equation of continuity

j r 0 V 0

Electric field
Displacement

V
D 0 r E

Equations and boundary conditions

n J J n 1A

j r 0 V 0

nJ 0

V 0

Results: Current distribution [on a dB scale]

Impedance defined as

Cavity position

voltage
total current at electrode

Results: Impedance phase angle

Cavity position

Example:
Thermal Stresses in a Layered Plate

Geometry
coating

substrate

carrier

1. The coating is deposited on the substrate, at 800 C

2. The temperature is lowered to 150 C -> thermal stresses
in the coating/substrate assembly.
3. The coating/substrate assembly is epoxied to a carrier
plate.
4. The temperature is lowered down to 20 C.

Model Definition
No motion in the z-direction (2D Plane Strain application)
Thermal loads are introduced according to:
Constitutive relations

D el 0 D( th 0 ) 0 ;
th x y z xy yz xz th vec (T Tref )
T

Results: First step

Result after depositing the

coating on the substrate and
lowering the temperature to
150 C

The figure shows the stress in

the x direction

Results: Final step

The stress in the x direction

after attaching the carrier
and lowering the
temperature to 20 C

Example:
Rapid thermal annealing

Rapid Thermal Anneal the device

Important process step in semiconductor processing
Rapidly heat up Silicon wafer to 1000 degrees C for 10
seconds

Rapid Thermal Anneal model geometry

Modeling question: what is the difference in signal from an IR
detector and a thermoresist?

Silicon wafer
Detector

Heater

Rapid Thermal Anneal COMSOL Multiphysics model

Transient temperature behaviour is modeled with the General
Heat Transfer application mode
Radiative Heat Transfer is determined by Surface-to-surface
radiation (included in General Heat)

( J 0 T 4 )
n ( kT )
(1 )

Rapid Thermal Anneal results

T-lamp
T-wafer
IR detector signal
Thermoresist
signal

=> IR detector gives better signal!

Example:
MEMs Thermal Bilayer Valve

Thermal Bilayer Valve

Layered material with
different thermal expansion
coefficients
Layers undergoing different
expansion induces
curvatures which can be
used to close a switch,
operate a valve, etc.

Thermal Bilayer Valve

Structural deformation from
thermal expansion
Structural buckling
Thermal conduction
Heat source: Joule heating
Current from DC conductive
Axisymmetric
Meshing Thin Layers

Using Mapped Meshes

Feature introduced in FEMLAB 3.1
2D quadrilateral elements can be generated by using a mapping
technique (defined on a unit square)
Best suited for fairly regular domains (connected, at least four
boundary segments, no isolated vertices) but irregular
geometry can also often be modified/divided in smaller regular
ones
2D mesh can then extruded/revolved to generate 3D brick
elements

Example:
Printed Circuit Board

Printed Circuit Board

Two 3D geometries, one
for the board and one for
the circuits
Geometries are meshed
and extruded separately
Identity coupling
variables are used to link
the two geometries back
together