Zunino III J.L., Skelton D.R.
U.S. Army ARDEC, US
Keywords: failure mechanisms, guidlines, MEMS, NEMS, reliability
Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are a technology that the Army and DOD rely on heavily to achieve their objectives. The MEMS devices within these systems will be required to last the lifetime of the weapon systems in which they are embedded Even though the reliance on MEMS devices has been increasing, there have been limited studies performed to determine their reliability and failure mechanisms. The US Army Corrosion Office manages the MEMS Reliability Assessment Program to address these issues. The goals of the MEMS Reliability Assessment Program are to 1) Establish the reliability of MEMS including the impact of transportation, long-term storage, operating environment, packaging & interconnection issues; 2) Analyze the compatibility of MEMS devices with energetic and other hazardous materials; 3) Identify failure mechanisms and failure rates; 4) Develop accelerated test protocols for assessing the reliability of MEMS; 5) Develop reliability models for these devices; 6) Identify a standardizing body, standard terminology, definitions, and categories for MEMS devices; 7) Determine potential test methodologies for assessing these mechanisms. Current ongoing efforts in support of the program include: 1) an assessment of the Long-term storage performance and standards requirements, 2) initiation of ESS testing for the identification of failure mechanisms of selected devices, 3) drafting of a joint test protocol for assessment of the corrosion potential of MEMs devices, 4) assessment of applicability of reliability software packages for use with MEMs devices and 5) development of test guidelines and test capabilities for the assessment of MEMs reliability.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 4, Technical Proceedings of the 2007 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 4
Published: May 20, 2007
Pages: 149 - 152
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Materials Characterization & Imaging
ISBN: 1-4200-6376-6