Collaborative Research: Improvement of MEMS Performance by Structural Vibrations - Theory and Practical Implementations

在微电子机械系统(MEMS)中，运动部件之间的粘接(粘连)是限制可靠性的主要问题。卡住接触，称为卡住失败，？对部件是致命的；粘连会阻止单个部件正常运行，从而危及整个设备的可靠性。由研究人员进行的初步实验表明，电诱导的结构振动可以导致棒子释放的启动。这项研究的目的是建立一个理论基础，并通过在实际MEMS器件上的实验验证，以使用电激励来驱动MEMS组件，以(I)防止粘连(通过机械抖动)和(Ii)修复粘连故障。这种非接触式(非侵入性)方法将能够防止和释放部件，而不会对部件或其邻近部件造成损害。此外，电驱动可以内置到MEMS芯片中，利用芯片的现有功能来克服粘连。这是一种成本效益高、易于实施的方法，可以在现场使用。还要注意的是，这里开发的框架也将适用于纳米级设备(NEMS)。这项工作分为实验和理论两个部分。该项目的实验部分涉及使用简化的几何结构(微悬臂)和真实的MEMS组件(齿轮系统、反射镜等)。以验证模型结果，并论证电诱导振动在防粘和修复粘连中的作用。我们将建立理论模型，以便更全面地了解抖动和粘合释放过程中涉及的基本机理。目前，由于粘合故障导致的可靠性问题，目前还没有商业上可用的带有接触/滑动部件的MEMS或纳米机电系统(NEMS)。为了实现它们的商业引入，需要在正常使用条件下防止粘连和修复故障设备的实用技术。拟议的方法是一种可行的方法，能够实现商业化。这里开发的一般框架可以扩展到纳米器件。该项目的教学部分将MEMS振动测试整合到本科必修实验室课程中。这将让学生亲身体验MEMS，并将证明近场力(在宏观测试中可以忽略不计)在所有微观测试中都不能被忽略。杰出的本科生，特别是那些来自代表性不足群体的学生(请注意，UNM是一个拉美裔服务机构(HSI))，将参与这项研究。

Sticking contact (adhesion) between moving components in Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) is a major problem limiting reliability. Sticking contact, referred to as ?stiction failure,? is fatal to the component; stiction prevents the individual component from operating properly and, hence, jeopardizes the reliability of the overall device. Preliminary experiments, performed by the investigators, indicate that electrically induced structural vibrations can lead to the initiation of stick-release. The purpose of this research endeavor is to create a theoretical foundation, validated by experiments on real MEMS devices, for using electrical excitation to drive MEMS components in order (i) to prevent adhesion (through mechanical dithering) and (ii) to repair stiction failures. This non-contacting (noninvasive) approach will enable stick-prevention and stick-release of a component without causing damage to the component or its neighbors. Moreover, the electrical actuation may be built into the MEMS chip, using the existing functionality of the chip to overcome adhesion. This is a cost effective, easy-to-implement approach that may be used in-situ. Also note that the framework developed here will also be applicable on nano-scale devices (NEMS). This work is broken into an experimental and theoretical component. The experimental portion of this project involves using simplified geometries (micro-cantilevers) and real MEMS components (gear systems, mirrors, etc.) to validate the model results and to demonstrate the utility of electrically induced vibrations in both stiction prevention and stiction repair. Theoretical models will be created to develop a more complete understanding of the fundamental mechanics involved in the dithering and stick-release processes.Currently there are no commercially available MEMS or Nano-Electro MechanicalSystems (NEMS) with contacting/sliding parts due to the reliability issue caused by adhesion failures. To enable their commercial introduction, practical techniques for the prevention of stiction and repair of failed devices under normal service conditions are required. The proposed methodology is a viable approach, enabling commercialization. The general framework developed here may be extended to nano-devices. The educational portion of this project integrates MEMS vibrations testing into a required undergraduate lab course. This will give students hands-on experience with MEMS and will demonstrate that near field forces (negligible in macro-scale tests) may not be ignored in all micro-scale tests. Outstanding undergraduates and particularly those from under-represented groups (note that the UNM is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)), will be involved in the research.