Direct measurements and numerical simulations of gas charging in microelectromechanical system capacitive switches

Gas breakdown in microelectromechanical system capacitive switches is demonstrated using high resolution current measurements and by particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulations. Measurements show an electric current through a 3 μ m air gap increasing exponentially with voltage, star...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2012-02, Vol.100 (8), p.083503-083503-4
Main Authors: Venkattraman, A., Garg, A., Peroulis, D., Alexeenko, A. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Gas breakdown in microelectromechanical system capacitive switches is demonstrated using high resolution current measurements and by particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulations. Measurements show an electric current through a 3 μ m air gap increasing exponentially with voltage, starting at 60V. PIC/MCC simulations with Fowler-Nordheim [Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 119 , 173 (1928)] field emission reveal self-sustained discharges with significant ion enhancement and a positive space charge. The effective ion-enhanced field emission coefficient increases with voltage up to about 0.3 with an electron avalanche occurring at 159V. The measurements and simulations demonstrate a charging mechanism for microswitches consistent with earlier observations of gas pressure and composition effects on lifetime.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.3688176