Nanoengineering Electrodes for Reliable Microelectromechanical Ohmic Contact Switches

用于可靠微机电欧姆接触开关的纳米工程电极

• 批准号: 0800619
• 负责人: Suzanne Mohney
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-06-15 至 2012-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0800619&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Nanoengineering; Electrodes; Reliable; Microelectromechanical; Ohmic

The objective of this award is to develop electrodes with enhanced reliability for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) ohmic contact switches. Gold is commonly used as the electrode material because of its high ductility, low electrical resistivity, inertness to oxidation, high thermal conductivity, and relatively high melting point. However, the reliability of gold electrodes must be improved for many intended applications. Electrodes in this study will benefit from the high electrical and thermal conductivity of an underlying gold film, but their surfaces will be engineered through the deposition of nanoscale coatings or the creation of nanoscale morphological features. The influence of the length scale of these surface modifications on the performance of the electrodes will be studied to refine the electrode design. These surface modifications are expected to mitigate failures caused by electrodes sticking together, arcing and material transfer, and increasing contact resistance with use. This investigation is coupled with materials characterization of new, cycled, and failed switches provided by collaborators from industry and government laboratories, including switches that will incorporate the electrodes developed in this study.MEMS ohmic contact switches offer many advantages over solid-state switches for electronic circuits. Advantages include lower power consumption, lower insertion losses, better isolation, and higher linearity. Circuits with these switches are therefore attractive for wireless communication, wireless sensors, aerospace applications, and military and commercial radar systems. The proposed work will lead to enhanced reliability of switches for these applications. It will also further knowledge in the field of electromechanical properties of nanoscale materials and their surfaces. The thesis research of a graduate student will be supported, and undergraduate senior thesis students will participate. An activity on the fabrication, electromechanical properties, and use of thin films in microelectromechanical systems will be developed for a summer camp that draws participants from high schools across the nation.

该奖项的目的是开发具有增强的微电机电系统（MEMS）欧姆接触开关可靠性的电极。金通常被用作电极材料，因为其高延展性，低电阻率，对氧化的惰性，高导热率和相对较高的熔点。但是，对于许多预期的应用，必须提高金电极的可靠性。这项研究中的电极将受益于潜在的金膜的高电导率和热导率，但是它们的表面将通过纳米级涂层的沉积或创建纳米级形态特征而设计。这些表面修饰的长度尺度对电极性能的影响将进行研究以完善电极设计。这些表面修饰有望减轻由电极粘在一起，弧形和材料转移以及使用的接触电阻增加引起的故障。该调查与工业和政府实验室合作者提供的新的，循环和失败开关的材料表征相结合，包括将结合本研究中开发的电极的开关。MEMSOHMIC接触开关提供了比固态开关的电子电路的许多优势。优点包括较低的功耗，较低的插入损失，更好的隔离和较高的线性性。因此，使用这些开关的电路对无线通信，无线传感器，航空应用以及军事和商业雷达系统具有吸引力。拟议的工作将导致这些应用程序的开关可靠性提高。它还将进一步了解纳米级材料及其表面的机电特性领域。研究生的论文研究将得到支持，本科高级论文学生将参加。将针对一个吸引全国高中参与者的夏令营开发有关制造，机电特性和薄膜使用薄膜的活动。