IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Tribology Wednesday Sessions
       Session TR+MM-WeA

Invited Paper TR+MM-WeA1
Tribological Issues in MEMS

Wednesday, October 31, 2001, 2:00 pm, Room 132

Session: Nanotribology
Presenter: R. Maboudian, University of California, Berkeley
Correspondent: Click to Email
Given the dimension of most microelectromechanical systems, gravity and other body forces are negligible. In contrast, interfacial forces dominate due to their large surface area-to-volume ratios. As a consequence, adhesion, friction, and wear are prevalent problems in many MEMS devices. Additionally, MEMS technology provides us with the opportunity to study tribology on a length scale not easily accessible by other techniques, namely the mesoscopic length scale. This presentation will discuss the use of several tribological microinstruments in conjunction with other surface characterization techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, to measure the surface forces present between polycrystalline silicon surfaces and to manipulate them by utilizing various surface treatments. The successes and the limitations of current surface coating technologies as well as areas for improvement will be discussed.