Review Article
Reliability and Fatigue Analysis in Cantilever-Based MEMS Devices Operating in Harsh Environments
Table 2
Mechanical failures.
| Mechanical fracture | Failure | Overload | Shock | Corrosion | Fatigue | | Causes | Excessive stress | Drops, excessive loading, and mechanical interference disorder | Chemical reaction, oxidation | Structural damage at cyclic loading | |
| Stiction | Failure | Vander Waals forces | Capillary forces | Chemical bonding | Electrostatic charging | Residual stress | Causes | Interaction of atoms or molecules at the surface of close contact | Monolayer of water on all surfaces that lubricates the surface inducing capillary force | Chemical bond between contacting surfaces | Two closed surfaces at different potentials | During the release process structure tends to bend or deform |
| Wear | Failure | Adhesion | Abrasion | Corrosion | Surface fatigue | | Causes | Pulling off fragments of another surface while sliding due to surface forces between them | Stripping away material from soft surface while sliding of harder surface | When two surfaces chemically interact | Smooth surfaces are subjected to cyclic loading instead of sliding | |
| Creep and fatigue | Failure | Intrinsic stress | Applied stress | Thermal stress | | | Causes | Residual stress | Input load | Overheating | | |
|
|