Aspects of Mechanical Reliability for RF-MEMS Switches with Self-Recovery Mechanism to Counteract Stiction

Abstract

In this work we discuss the operation of an active self-recovery mechanism, embedded within MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) switches for Radio Frequency (RF) applications, able to counteract the stiction induced by charge accumulation [1] and micro-welding formation [2]. Such a mechanism, based on the thermo-electric effect, allows for restoring the MEMS switch back to normal operation after a failure. This is done by means of two factors, namely, the entrapped charges dispersion speed-up [3] within the insulating layer between the electrodes, and the application of shear forces on the welding points, both induced by the heat. Preliminary experimental results, collected by a few fabricated MEMS switch samples, confirm the viability of the proposed approach