DocumentCode :
3438626
Title :
{111} Si Etched Planar Electrical Contacts for Power MEMS-relays
Author :
Weber, A.C. ; Lang, J.H. ; Slocum, A.H.
Author_Institution :
Massachusetts Inst. of Technol., Cambridge
fYear :
2007
fDate :
16-19 Sept. 2007
Firstpage :
156
Lastpage :
159
Abstract :
We present the design of electrical contacts used in a MEMS-relay for power applications. The device is bulk micromachined in single crystalline silicon and bonded to a glass substrate. Anisotropic etching, using aqueous potassium hydroxide solution, is used to fabricate the oblique, complementary, planar and parallel (111) contact surfaces having nanometer-scale surface roughness. The silicon contact surfaces are evaporated with a conductive film. A thermal oxide layer provides insulation between the silicon substrate and the metal contacts. The contacts are capable of make-break switching resistive and inductive loads. The MEMS device has large contact travel, in the order of 30 mum and low contact resistance, in the order of 120 mOmega. Testing has demonstrated current carrying capacity in the order of 3 A and hot-switching of inductive loads, in the order of 10 mH, without low cycle performance degradation over approximately 30 switching cycles.
Keywords :
electrical contacts; microrelays; silicon; Si; anisotropic etching; aqueous potassium hydroxide solution; bulk micromachined; glass substrate; planar electrical contacts; power MEMS-relays; power applications; single crystalline silicon; thermal oxide layer; Anisotropic magnetoresistance; Bonding; Contacts; Crystallization; Etching; Glass; Rough surfaces; Silicon; Substrates; Surface roughness; MEMS-relays; make-break switching; planar contacts; power; si;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Electrical contacts - 2007, the 53rd ieee holm conference on
Conference_Location :
Pittsburgh, PA
Print_ISBN :
1-4244-0837-7
Electronic_ISBN :
1-4244-0838-5
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/HOLM.2007.4318210
Filename :
4318210
Link To Document :
بازگشت