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.