AVS 49th International Symposium
    Nanometer Structures Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS+SE+SS+MM-TuM

Invited Paper NS+SE+SS+MM-TuM7
Tribology and Surface Forces in MEMS

Tuesday, November 5, 2002, 10:20 am, Room C-207

Session: Nanotribology
Presenter: J.S. Zabinski, Air Force Research Laboratory
Authors: J.S. Zabinski, Air Force Research Laboratory
S.T. Patton, UDRI
K.C. Eapen, UDRI
S.A. Smallwood, Systran, Inc.
Correspondent: Click to Email
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) offer the potential to provide new capabilities and products for commercial and military applications. Simple devices are already common in the marketplace, but friction, stiction, and wear prevent reliable operation of more sophisticated types of MEMS devices that have contacting surfaces in relative motion. These tribological problems are fundamentally difficult to solve and are magnified because MEMS are expected to operate in very harsh environments, such as at elevated temperature and in space. The performance and reliability of MEMS are strongly dependent on the environment in which they operate. For example, moisture can cause device failure by stiction or it can provide excellent lubrication, depending on the device and the relative concentration of water vapor (i.e., relative humidity). Operation in vacuum is particularly severe and the wear mechanisms are different than in dry or moist environments. Methods to control system tribology include lubricant coatings, monolayers, and new materials. The tribological mechanisms operating in moist air through vacuum will be discussed along with strategies to control friction, stiction, and wear that have significantly improved MEMS reliability. In addition, the effects of storage on device performance will be presented.