On qualitative properties of solutions to microelectromechanical systems with general permittivity (Q264059)

The non-positivity and the occurrence of finite-time singularities are investigated for solutions to the following free boundary problem describing the evolution of an idealized electrostatic MEMS made of a deformable membrane suspended above a rigid ground plate. Introducing the membrane deflection \(u=u(t,x)>-1\) defined for \(x\in (-1,1)\) and \(t>0\) and the electrostatic potential \(\psi=\psi(t,x,z)\) defined in the device \(\Omega(u(t)) = \{ (x,z)\in (-1,1)\times\mathbb{R}\;:\;-1 < z < u(t,x)\}\), the deflection solves a semilinear parabolic equation \[ \begin{align*}{ u_t - u_{xx} & = - \lambda \left[ \varepsilon^2 \psi_x(t,x,u(t,x))^2 + \psi_z(t,x,u(t,x))^2 \right] \cr & + 2\lambda \varepsilon^2 \psi_x(t,x,u(t,x)) f'(x)\ , \quad t>0, \ x\in (-1,1), }\end{align*} \] supplemented with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions \(u(t,\pm 1) = 0\), \(t>0\), and initial condition \(u(0,x) = u_*(x)\), \(x\in (-1,1)\), while the potential solves the elliptic equation \[ \varepsilon^2 \psi_{xx} + \psi_{zz} = 0, \quad t>0, \quad (x,z)\in \Omega(u(t)), \] with boundary conditions \[ \psi(t,x,z) = \frac{1+z}{1+u(t,x)} f(x), \qquad t>0, \quad (x,z)\in \partial\Omega(u(t)). \] Here, \(\varepsilon>0\) is the aspect ratio of the device, \(\lambda>0\) is proportional to the square of the applied voltage, and \(f=f(x)\in C^1([-1,1])\) accounts for some non-homogeneity. Local well-posedness is first discussed under suitable regularity assumptions on \(u_*\). It is then shown that the conditions \(f/(\sqrt{2} |f'|)\geq \varepsilon\) and \(u_*\leq 0\) imply that \(u(t)\leq 0\) as long as it exists, provided the following property is true: for all \(v\in W_q^2(I)\) satisfying \(-1< v \leq 0\), the solution \(\psi_v\) to the boundary value problem \[ \varepsilon^2 \psi_{v,xx} + \psi_{v,zz} = 0, \quad (x,z)\in \Omega(v), \quad \psi_v(x,z) = \frac{1+z}{1+v(x)} f(x), \quad (x,z)\in \partial\Omega(v), \] satisfies \[ \psi_{v,zz}(x,-1)\geq 0 \text{ and } \psi_{v,zz}(x,v(x)) \geq 0, \quad x\in (-1,1). \] It is next proved that there is \(\lambda_0>0\) such that, if \(\lambda\in (\lambda_0,\varepsilon^{-2})\) and \(u\) is a non-positive solution, then a singularity occurs in finite time, in the sense that either \(u\) reaches the value \(-1\) or a Sobolev norm of \(u\) blows up. Similar results are already available when \(f\equiv 1\), the non-positivity of solutions emanating from non-positive initial data being a simple consequence of the maximum principle in that case.