Accelerated Testing of Gold based materials during hot switching cycles in a MEMS test platform

This paper explores the endurance of electrical contacts cycled under hot switching conditions (4 Vdc, 10 - 300 mA) in a test platform designed to model a Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) switch. The test platform allows the control of critical parameters applicable to a MEMS device, including DC switching power, contact force and the displacement profile of the opening and closing actuator. The paper investigates the ability to use the system to predict the failure of the contact surfaces from a low number of hot-switching cycles (e.g. 1 million). The surfaces investigated include conventional metallic surfaces and a metallic surface supported by a soft underlayer that allows one of the metallic surfaces to deform under the application of an applied contact force. The paper reviews several endurance data sources to predict the limits of switching as a function of the switched power. These limits are then tested and are shown to be proven. This will allow the full investigation of switching materials for the application, with a low number of switching cycles used to predict the surface failure by increased contact resistance.