Work

Advancing Understanding of High-Temperature Micro-Electro-Mechanical System Failures with New Simulation-Assisted Approach

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: High-temperature micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMSs) are critical for applications in extreme environments and applications where the operating temperature can exceed 1000 °C, but their long-term performance is limited by complex failure mechanisms, including material degradation caused by atomic migration. This study introduces a simulation-assisted approach to analyze and predict the dominant failure modes, focusing on vacancy fluxes and their driving forces, within high-temperature MEMS structures. The focus is on tungsten-based structures operating at a temperature of 1580 °C. This approach couples electric-, stress- and temperature-dependent simulations to evaluate atomic migration pathways, which are key contributors to failure. This study demonstrates that void accumulation, driven by vacancy migration, results in localized current density increase, hotspot formation, and accelerated structural degradation. The mean time to failure (MTTF) is shown to have exponential dependence on temperature and inverse-square dependence on current density, highlighting the critical role of these parameters in device reliability. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the failure mechanisms in high-temperature MEMSs and underscore the need for design strategies that mitigate electromigration and stress-induced void growth to enhance device performance and longevity.

Source: Sensors

DOI: 10.3390/s25103120

Authors: Weronika Lidia Sadurska, Matthias Imboden, Jürgen Burger, Alex Jean Dommann

Institution: University of Bern

Language: English

Topic: Advanced MEMS and NEMS Technologies

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation