The large surface areas and small thickness and gaps of microstructures fabricated by surface micromachining along with the smoothness of the surfaces result in large adhesion forces between fabricated structures or between the structures and the substrate when they come in contact. This is known as stiction and can occur during processing as well as in use. Stiction is recognised as a major failure mechanism in surface micromachined MEMS. We discuss the adhesion mechanisms contributing to stiction and the different methods to reduce stiction. An electrical measurement technique developed to estimate the in use stiction force based on I-V measurements is discussed.
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