Accession Number:
ADA582747
Title:
Novel Test Fixture for Characterizing Microcontacts: Performance and Reliability
Descriptive Note:
Master's thesis
Corporate Author:
AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
2013-03-01
Pagination or Media Count:
176.0
Abstract:
Engineers have attempted to improve reliability and lifecycle performance using novel micro-contact metals, unique mechanical designs and packaging. Contact resistance can evolve over the lifetime of the micro-switch by increasing until failure. This work shows the fabrication of micro-contact support structures and test fixture which allow for micro-contact testing, with an emphasis on the fixtures design to allow the determination and analysis of the appropriate failure mode. The other effort of this investigation is the development of a micro-contact test fixture which can measure contact force and resistance directly and perform initial micro-contact characterization, and two forms of lifecycle testing for micro-contacts at rates up to 3kHz. In this work, two different designs of micro-contact structures are fabricated and tested, with each providing advantages for studying micro-contact physics. After fabrication was refined, three functioning fixed-fixed Au micro-contact support structures with contact radii of 4, 6, and 10 956m and two functioning fixed-fixed Ag micro-contacts were tested using the 956N force sensor at cycle rates up to 3 kHz. Comparing the PolyMUMPs micro-contact support structure to the fixed-fixed micro-contact support structure, it was determined that the fixed-fixed micro-contact support structure is the best structure for studying the evolution of micro-contact resistance.
Descriptors:
Subject Categories:
- Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering and Control of Production Systems
- Test Facilities, Equipment and Methods