Finite element analysis of the thermal characteristics of MEMS switches
- 6 May 2004
- conference paper
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- Vol. 1, 412-415 vol.1
- https://doi.org/10.1109/sensor.2003.1215341
Abstract
Electrostatically actuated microswitches and relays have been developed at Northeastern University and Analog Devices, Inc. Here, we report a steady-state thermal-electrical finite element model of microswitches with gold-gold contacts. The modeling results show that in a microswitch with a typical geometry, the thermal constriction occurs in the thin film trace leading up to the contact, and not at the contact interface. The model correctly predicts the switch voltage at which the drain trace melts, but underestimates the switch resistance, and therefore overestimates the failure current. SEM images indicate that the contact area increases significantly with current.Keywords
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