Co-simulation of multi-domain physical and electronic systems

微电子学与光学、微机械设备(MEMS)和传感器等物理系统的持续集成产生了对更复杂的计算机辅助设计(CAD)和模拟软件的需求。高度集成系统的例子包括：集成光学；集成了cmos模块的微机械机械设备；以及由化学/机械/生物传感器组成的集成传感器。这项工作解决了这类系统对CAD产生的两个主要挑战：一个是需要准确和快速地模拟跨越多个能源域的紧密耦合系统。第二是需要高度的系统优化，以在竞争激烈的市场中降低成本。通常，这种复杂系统的设计是通过将系统划分为块来实现的。这些模块将复杂的系统划分为具有良好定义的交互的更简单的部分，以便每个部分都可以单独设计和建模。然而，这种方法有很大的局限性。

The continued integration of microelectronics with physical systems such as optics, micro-mechanical devices (MEMS), and sensors has produced a need for more sophisticated Computer Aided Design (CAD) and simulation software. Examples of highly integrated systems include: integrated optics; micro-machined mechanical devices integrated with CMOS modules; and integrated sensors consisting of chemical/mechanical/biological sensors. This work addresses two primary challenges for CAD that arise for such systems: One is the need for accurate and fast simulation of tightly coupled systems spanning multiple energy domains. The second is the need for a high degree of system optimization to lower costs in very competitive markets. Commonly, the design of such complex systems is achieved by the partitioning of the system into blocks. These blocks divide the complex system into simpler pieces with well defined interactions so that each piece can be designed and modeled separately. However such approaches have significant limitations.