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This paper identifies dynamic excitation parameters that promote decohesion of stiction-failed microcantilevers. The dynamic response of "s-shaped" adhered beams subjected to harmonic loading is described using modal analysis; this model is then used to predict the onset of debonding in the context of a critical interface energy. These theoretical results are used to rationalize preliminary experiments, which illustrate that dynamic excitation may be used to affect partial or complete repair of stiction-failed microcantilevers. The theoretical results provide fundamental insight regarding regimes where resonant effects trigger debonding and can serve as a potential mechanism for stiction repair. The models illustrate that driving a structure at resonance is usually beneficial with regards to debonding. However, this is not universally true; there is no benefit to driving a device at frequencies with unfavorable mode-shapes. Thus, these results provide a reasonable physical and mathematical explanation for the preliminary experimental results, while providing a roadmap for identifying parameters in future tests

In this paper, we present experimental measurements of the strain energy release rate for stiction-failed polysilicon microcantilevers using a newly developed single cantilever beam peel test. Our experiments show that dry-contacting microcantilevers adhere exclusively as tip-stuck, "arc-shaped" stiction failures, while adhesion under "wet" conditions generate exclusively "s-shaped" stiction failures. Microcantilevers were "peeled" from the substrate under displacement control using a piezoelectric actuator attached to one end of an array of microcantilever beams. The crack length was monitored using interferometric imaging, and related to the applied displacement using established equations from linear elastic fracture mechanics. The pull-off forces associated with "arc-shaped" stiction failures were an average value of 89.7 nN, for 1000 mum long beams, and an average value of 123 nN for 1500 mum long beams. Adhesion energies for s-shaped failures were measured as 13.7 mJ/m2 for IPA released beams and 15.4 mJ/m2 for deionized water released beams. These values are in good agreement with previous measurements. The proposed experimental method enables application of a simple fracture mechanics model using a standard specimen geometry. These experiments, using both wet and dry adhesion failure conditions, show that the quality of the adhesive failure depends upon the magnitude of the forces pulling the microcantilever into contact with the underlying substrate

Presents a thermomechanical model that describes adhesion reduction in MEMS structures using laser heating. A fracture mechanics model is developed where the interface between the stiction-failed microcantilever and the substrate is treated as a crack, and the energy release rate is calculated using elastic theory. In order to include the effect of a temperature difference between the microcantilever and the substrate, an associated thermal strain energy is included in the fracture model. If the free length is longer than the critical buckling length, the beam buckles decreasing the strain energy of the system. For surface-micromachined polycrystalline silicon cantilevers with an initial crack length of 400 /spl mu/m, the model predicts that a temperature difference of 100 K repairs microcantilevers as long as 1300 /spl mu/m. The peeling of adhered beams from the substrate after laser irradiation is experimentally shown with measured crack lengths within 15% of predicted values indicating that the proposed model establishes the mechanism of adhesion reduction by laser irradiation.