Mechanical coupling in single crystal silicon for MEMS design

Abstract

There is an active interest in the development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices using single crystal silicon. Single crystal silicon is known to display anisotropic mechanical properties and several papers have been presented that deal explicitly with various aspects arising from the anisotropy. In this paper we develop comprehensive expressions and graphs to allow for the easy determination of anisotropic coupling effects in beam and plate structures with a particular emphasis upon (100) and (111) wafers. Further, through the use of illustrative examples, we highlight practical issues in modeling single crystal MEMS devices with special attention to the ability of beam and plate models to accurately capture three-dimensional (3-D) behavior.