Mechanical Fatigue on Gold MEMS Devices: Experimental Results

Giorgio de Pasquale (1) , Aurelio Somà (1) , Alberto Ballestra (1)

1 Polito - Politecnico di Torino = Polytechnic of Turin

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 measurements. Measurements are performed by means of the optical interferometric technique.

Domaines: Autre [cs.OH]

Giorgio de Pasquale, Aurelio Somà, Alberto Ballestra. Mechanical Fatigue on Gold MEMS Devices: Experimental Results. DTIP 2008, Apr 2008, Nice, France. pp.11-15. ⟨hal-00277670⟩