Tribology of Silicon Surfaces: A review

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is an emerging technique with an immense number of applications in aerospace and automobile industry. This innovation is advanced with the effective improvement in microelectronics. Sensors and actuators are the utilitarian components of MEMS; Sensor based MEMS are industrially accessible, while actuator based MEMS have a relative movement and thus not yet been marketed because of high friction (forces associated with Surface dominates the forces associated with volume) which prevents the smooth movement and reliability of the device. Additionally, the conventional material for MEMS devices is silicon (Si), which experiences poor tribological properties, and the tribology structures in the system are the main reason for the MEMS devices to fail. Hence tribology of MEMS devices requiring relative movement is of significance. In this situation, new microengineering approaches have been employed to decrease the occurrences of failures, numerous different techniques like thin film coatings, topographical and chemical modification, and application of dual-film coating have been evaluated to strengthen the device, relieve stiction, and thus reduce the friction and adhesion to the system structures. This paper presents an overview of above techniques to improve the performance of silicon surfaces in MEMS devices. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.