MEMS reliability focus of Sandia short course

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Sandia news media contact

Neal Singer
nsinger@sandia.gov
505-845-7078

Techniques remove barriers to mainstream acceptance

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Manufacturers, inventors, and researchers challenged by MEMS reliability issues should consider signing up for one of the upcoming “MEMS reliability short courses” offered by Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque May 10-12 and Dec. 13-15.

The 2-1/2-day, hands-on short course at Sandia — a world leader in surface micromachining technologies — offers a complete review of reliability issues, tools, and techniques in the increasingly important field.

Says Sandia reliability manager Fred Sexton, “Being unable to demonstrate the reliability of a new microsystems technology is a key barrier to acceptance in mainstream applications. This course provides the basic information needed to understand factors adversely affecting performance. This enables a design-for-reliability approach that can eliminate many concerns, and provides a methodology for mitigating those effects that remain.”

The course begins with a discussion of reliability issues in microtechnologies compared to those encountered in the day-to-day macro world. Current research in 16 distinct failure mechanisms are presented, leading to a discussion of tools and methods to ‘design-in’ reliability.

Topics studied include design practices and modeling tools; use of basic structures such as beams, columns, and members; and the effects of inertia, mechanical interference, stress, and buckling on performance. An in-depth study of bulk and thin films properties establishes a solid foundation for understanding the physics of failure in micron-scale structural materials.

A detailed look at the effects of surface morphology and environment on adhesion, friction, and wear is described. Use of thin-film organic coatings to mitigate friction and adhesion between surfaces completes this area. The student is exposed to a balanced mix of in-class study and hands-on laboratory exercises.

The cost for the course is $1,600.

For more complete information, go to mems.sandia.gov/scripts/ReliabilityRegister.asp or contact Amanda Lopez at memscc@sandia.gov.

 

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.

Sandia news media contact

Neal Singer
nsinger@sandia.gov
505-845-7078