DC Hot Switching Lifetime Study for Contact MEMS Switch by Weibull Distribution Analysis

DC hot switching lifetime for Au-Au-contact MEMS switch is studied in this work, in which the applied voltage varies from 5 to 8 V. Weibull distribution analysis is employed for lifetime data processing, and the scale parameters (λ), shape parameters (k) and 50% of population failure point (T50) are fitted and calculated. This work shows two distinctive advancements: (a) illustration of the device lifetime evolution from quasi-Exponential distribution (k≈1) to quasi-Rayleigh distribution (k≈2) to quasi-Normal distribution (k>4) according to different applied voltages; (b) mathematic relationship establishment between lifetime and DC hot switching voltage, which can be used for device lifetime prediction. These advancements above are studied and verified on basis of Au-Au-contact MEMS switch, and it is also suitable for other contact materials characteristic modeling.