Over the last few years, considerable effort has gone into the study of the failure mechanisms and reliability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Although still very incomplete, our knowledge of the reliability issues relevant to MEMS is growing. This paper provides an overview of MEMS failure mechanisms that are commonly encountered. It focuses on the reliability issues of micro-scale d...

Technological problems for realization of Micro Electro-mechanical System (MEMS) are discussed and an introduction of smart materials (PZT) is encouraged. The film formation and micromachining technology are discussed in integration of PZT thin films into MEMS. Further developments are proposed on PZT micro sensors and actuators with special emphasis laid on exploration of new application field...

We present fully integrated high-performance voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) with on-chip microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inductors for the first time. MEMS inductors have been realized from the unique CMOS-compatible MEMS process that we have developed to provide suspended thick metal structures for high-quality ( ) factors. Fully integrated CMOS VCOs have been fabricated by monolit...

The following work reports the design, numerical, analytical and simulation characterization of an Aluminum Nitride MEMS resonator. The paper offers a comparison of rectangular plate MEMS resonator (length extensional and width extensional mode shapes) and ring shape MEMS resonator. It also demonstrates the contour Eigen modes of resonators and their equivalent electric circuit model (BVD). Fur...

This paper presents a review of radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) research within Europe. A tour of Europe is given, identifying the key institutions within France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden and the UK. Some of the activities from these institutions have been mentioned, with corresponding references cited. The European Union’s Network of Excellence in RF MEMS ...

This paper mainly presents a briefly review for recent progress in MEMS-based transmission lines for use in microwave and millimeterwave range. MEMS-based transmission lines including different transmission line structure such as membranesupported microstrip line microstrip line, coplanar microshield transmission line, LIGA micromachined planar transmission line, micromachined waveguides and co...

There is strong experimental evidence for the existence of strange modes of failure of MEMS devices under shock. Such failures have not been explained with conventional models of MEMS. These failures are characterized by overlaps between moving microstructures and stationary electrodes, which cause electrical shorts. This work presents a model and simulation of MEMS devices under the combinatio...

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have an unmatched ability to incorporate numerous functionalities into ultra-compact devices, and due to their versatility and miniaturization, MEMS have become an important cornerstone in biomedical and endoscopic imaging research. To incorporate MEMS into such applications, it is critical to understand underlying architectures involving choices in actuati...

As more MEMS-based products and applications move from research to commercialization, there is a growing array of choices for design and analysis software tools. Increasingly, mainstream CAD and CAE tools can be relied on to deliver robust capabilities previously available only with specialized, often expensive, MEMS-focused tools. Given the technical and business advantages of mainstream tools...

An alternative to a classical wavelength interferometer (an array of hand-assembled etalons consisting of two semitransparent mirrors separated by a fixed-cavity) is the implementation of wide band tunable filter using Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. This approach will allow a single tunable device to replace an array of fixed-cavity filters reducing cost and parts. MEMS tech...