An extension to SystemC-A to support mixed-technology systems with distributed components

This contribution proposes syntax extensions to SystemC-A that support mixed-technology system modelling where components might exhibit distributed behaviour modelled by partial differential equations. The important need for such extensions arises from the well known modelling difficulties in hardware description languages where complex electronics in a mixed-technology system interfaces with distributed components from different physical domains, e.g. mechanical, magnetic or thermal. A digital MEMS accelerometer with distributed mechanical sensing element is used as a case study to illustrate modelling capabilities offered by the proposed extended syntax of SystemC-A.