Numerical modelling of electrostatic force microscopes considering charge and dielectric constant

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a hybrid numerical simulation approach for the calculation of potential and electric field distribution considering charge and dielectric constant. Design/methodology/ approach - Each numerical method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The idea is to overcome the disadvantages of the corresponding numerical method by coupling with other numerical methods. An augmented finite element method (FEM), linear FEM and boundary element method are used with an efficient coupling. Findings - The simulation model of microstructured devices is not so simple. During the simulation various types of problems will occur. It is found that by using several numerical methods these problems can be overcome and the calculation can be performed efficiently. Research limitations/implications - The present approach can be applied in 2D cases. But, in 3D cases the calculation of augmented FEM in a spherical coordinate becomes quite elaborate. Practical implications - The proposed hybrid numerical simulation approach can be applied for the simulation of the electrostatic force microscope (EFM) which is a very high-resolution measuring tool in nanotechnology. This approach can be applied also to other micro-electro-mechanical systems. Originality/value - Since the scanning process of the EFM is dynamic, it requires the updating of the FEM mesh in each calculation time step. In the present paper, the mesh updating is achieved by an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method. The proposed numerical approach can be applied for the simulation of the EFM including this remeshing algorithm ALE. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.