Measurement and control of stiction force in in-plane electrostatically actuated Si nanoelectromechanical cantilever relays with Pt contacts

Abstract

We measure the stiction force using in-plane electrostatically actuated Si nanoelectromechanical cantilever relays with Pt contacts. The average current-dependent values of the stiction force, ranging from 60 nN to 265 nN, were extracted using the I DS vs V GS hysteresis curves, the cantilever displacement information from finite element method (Comsol Multiphysics) simulations, and the force distribution determined using an analytical model. It is shown that the stiction force is inversely and directly proportional to the contact resistance (R c) and drain-source current (I DS), respectively. Using the dependence of the stiction force on the contact current, we demonstrate the tuning of the voltage hysteresis for the same relay from 8 V to 36 V (equivalent to a stiction force of 70 nN to 260 nN, respectively). We attribute the stiction force primarily to the metallic bonding force, which shows a strong dependence on the contact current.