Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches are attractive for many applications including radio frequency and microwave systems, logic devices, acceleration sensing and electric protection. However, low reliability limits the introduction of these devices into the commercial use. For two decades of research, many reliability issues have been successfully overcome, but some aspects have received little attention. The paper describes a failure mechanism of electrostatically actuated MEMS switch related to the migration of adhesive material in a dielectric substrate. The phenomenon is demonstrated for the device with Au and Pt electrodes deposited on Cr adhesion layer. After 10²–10⁵ working cycles, nanoscale structures consisting of Cr and C appear at the gate. The structures grow and coalesce into micron-sized formations that touch the beam during actuation and cause stiction or short circuiting. The material transfer takes place not only in the gap between the electrodes, but also around the gate and its connecting line, where Cr and C agglomerate into spots and droplets. In addition, the adhesive material migrates under the Au and Pt films, causing the delamination of electrodes from the substrate. A possible explanation of the described effect is the drift of Cr at the SiO₂ surface under electric field. Chromium is widely used in microtechnology, but the field-induced migration was not reported previously. To all appearance, it became possible due to the features of the fabrication process. The conditions for the migration must be clarified in order to avoid this reliability issue for MEMS switches of various types and other microfabricated devices.

微机电系统 (MEMS) 开关对许多应用都很有吸引力，包括射频和微波系统、逻辑器件、加速度传感和电气保护。然而，低可靠性限制了将这些设备引入商业用途。经过二十年的研究，许多可靠性问题已经成功克服，但有些方面却很少受到关注。该论文描述了静电驱动的 MEMS 开关的故障机制，与介电基板中粘合剂材料的迁移有关。对于具有沉积在 Cr 粘附层上的 Au 和 Pt 电极的器件，证明了该现象。10 ² –10 ^{5 之后}在工作循环中，由 Cr 和 C 组成的纳米级结构出现在栅极处。这些结构生长并合并成微米大小的结构，在驱动过程中接触梁并导致静摩擦或短路。材料转移不仅发生在电极之间的间隙中，而且发生在栅极及其连接线周围，其中 Cr 和 C 聚集成点和液滴。此外，粘合剂材料在 Au 和 Pt 膜下迁移，导致电极从基板上分层。所描述的效应的一种可能解释是 Cr 在 SiO ₂处的漂移电场下的表面。铬广泛用于微技术，但以前没有报道过场引起的迁移。从表面上看，由于制造过程的特点，这成为可能。必须明确迁移的条件，以避免各种类型的 MEMS 开关和其他微制造设备的可靠性问题。