On the application of the BGK kinetic model to the analysis of gas-structure interactions in MEMS

The BGK model of the Boltzmann equation is applied to the analysis of damping in silicon inertial MEMS working at low-moderate frequencies. Assuming small perturbations, the linearized steady-state 2D equation is implemented in a deterministic manner in order to avoid noise intrinsic in statistical approaches. Implementation details are discussed and the comparison with available experimental data in terms of forces exerted on the suspended shuttle is presented.