Title :
Mechanical fatigue on gold MEMS devices: Experimental results
Author :
Pasquale, G. De ; Soma, A. ; Ballestra, A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mech., Polytech. of Torino, Torino
Abstract :
The effect of mechanical fatigue on structural performances of gold devices is investigated. The pull-in voltage of special testing micro-systems is monitored during the cyclical load application. The mechanical collapse is identified as a dramatic loss of mechanical strength of the specimen. The fatigue limit is estimated through the stair-case method by means of the pull-in voltage detections. Measurements are performed by means of the optical interferometric technique.
Keywords :
fatigue testing; gold; light interferometry; mechanical strength; micromechanical devices; reliability; Au; gold MEMS devices; mechanical collapse; mechanical fatigue; mechanical strength; microsystems; optical interferometric technique; pull-in voltage; stair-case method; structural performance; Fatigue; Gold; Life estimation; Microelectromechanical devices; Monitoring; Optical interferometry; Optical losses; Performance evaluation; Testing; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Design, Test, Integration and Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS, 2008. MEMS/MOEMS 2008. Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Nice
Print_ISBN :
978-2-35500-006-5
DOI :
10.1109/DTIP.2008.4752942
