Investigation on Graphene-Coated Silver-Palladium Microelectrical Contact and Effect of Coating Thickness

Abstract

This article investigates silver-palladium (AgPd) microelectrical contact coated with graphene (Gr). An analysis is carried out for 2-D, circle-rectangle microelectrical contact using COMSOL multiphysics finite element analysis (FEA) simulation software tool. Under applied force between 6 and $15~\mu \text{N}$ , mechanical performance parameters such as contact radius, depth of penetration, and contact pressure are obtained for AgPd uncoated microelectrical contact. The results are validated with the Hertz contact model. The analysis is also carried out for the AgPd microelectrical contact coated with graphene (Gr). The Gr coating thickness is varied between 5 and 10 nm, and better mechanical performance is obtained for lesser coating thickness. This result shows that Gr can be used as a coating and lubricant on AgPd for electrical contact applications.