Effects of the geometrical dimensions on stress and strain of electrostatically actuated MEMS resonators at pull-in and stiction positions

The aims of this study are to estimate the effect of geometrical dimensions on stiffness, stress and strain of flexible MEMS structures at pull-in and stiction positions. Microcantilevers and microbridges are often used as flexible mechanical elements in microsystems for sensing and actuation functions. Analytical models for stiffness, stress and strain of flexible microcomponents as microcantilevers are developed and presented in this paper. Experimental investigations are performed on samples fabricated from gold with different geometrical dimensions using Atomic Force Microscope. The distribution of stress in deformable MEMS components is changed as function of the contact areas between the flexible plate and substrate.