Microsystems are used in a wide array of applications including consumer electronics, radio frequency (RF) switches, pressure sensors, and chemical monitoring systems. These systems, especially contacting microsystems, face reliability problems which arise, in part, from a poor understanding of the underlying multi-physics. Without a solid understanding of the relevant physics, it is difficult to create computational models for optimizing microsystems for reliable performance. The physics of interest include gas damping, electrostatics, residual stresses, contact mechanics, and dielectric charging. Here we present several systematic studies, experimental and theoretical, that lay out new methodologies for quantifying some of these physical interactions and new analyses that indicate the relevant physics that need to be included for accurate predictive models.
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