The successful launch of viable MEMs product hinges on MEMS reliability, the reliability and qualification for MEMs based products is not widely understood. Companies that have a deep understanding of MEMs reliability view the information as a competitive advantage and are reluctant to share it. MEMs Reliability, focuses on the reliability and manufacturability of MEMS at a fundamental level by addressing process development and characterization, material property characterization, failure mechanisms and physics of failure (POF), design strategies for improving yield, design for reliability (DFR), packaging and testing.

This first book to cover exclusively and in detail the principles, tools and methods for determining the reliability of microelectromechanical materials, components and devices covers both component materials as well as entire MEMS devices. Divided into two major parts, following a general introductory chapter to reliability issues, the first part looks at the mechanical properties of the materials used in MEMS, explaining in detail the necessary measuring technologies -- nanoindenters, bulge methods, bending tests, tensile tests, and others. Part Two treats the actual devices, organized by important device categories such as pressure sensors, inertial sensors, RF MEMS, and optical MEMS.

This volume covers both innovative and basic methods of surface engineering for improved surface properties.

A selection of scientific papers on the reliability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for critical and space applications.

Bringing you up-to-date with the latest developments in MEMS technology, this major revision of the best-selling An Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems Engineering offers you a current understanding of this cutting-edge technology. You gain practical knowledge of MEMS materials, design, and manufacturing, and learn how it is being applied in industrial, optical, medical and electronic markets. The second edition features brand new sections on RF MEMS, photo MEMS, micromachining on materials other than silicon, reliability analysis, plus an expanded reference list. With an emphasis on commercialized products, this unique resource helps you determine whether your application can benefit from a MEMS solution, understand how other applications and companies have benefited from MEMS, and select and define a manufacturable MEMS process for your application. You discover how to use MEMS technology to enable new functionality, improve performance, and reduce size and cost. The book teaches you the capabilities and limitations of MEMS devices and processes, and helps you communicate the relative merits of MEMS to your company's management. From critical discussions on design operation and process fabrication of devices and systems, to a thorough explanation of MEMS packaging, this easy-to-understand book clearly explains the basics of MEMS engineering, making it an invaluable reference for your work in the field.

The burgeoning new technology of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) shows great promise in the weapons arena. We can now conceive of micro-gyros, micro-surety systems, and micro-navigators that are extremely small and inexpensive. Do we want to use this new technology in critical applications such as nuclear weapons? This question drove us to understand the reliability and failure mechanisms of silicon surface-micromachined MEMS. Development of a testing infrastructure was a crucial step to perform reliability experiments on MEMS devices and will be reported here. In addition, reliability test structures have been designed and characterized. Many experiments were performed to investigate failure modes and specifically those in different environments (humidity, temperature, shock, vibration, and storage). A predictive reliability model for wear of rubbing surfaces in microengines was developed. The root causes of failure for operating and non-operating MEMS are discussed. The major failure mechanism for operating MEMS was wear of the polysilicon rubbing surfaces. Reliability design rules for future MEMS devices are established.