Measurement of adhesion force at elevated temperatures in MEMS using thermal-structural actuation

Abstract

A new structure for the measurement of interfacial adhesion force between polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) surfaces in M/NEMS and at elevated temperature is introduced. The device consists of bilayer cantilever beams with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE), which carry a rigid plate with a dimple. Thermal actuation and structural force stored in the beam, respectively, initiate and terminate the contact between the two surfaces under study. The proposed design can eliminate the effect of secondary forces such as electrostatic force caused by trapped charges at contact surfaces, which may contribute to the adhesion forces measured using other techniques.