Materials selection for micro-electromechanical systems

Materials selection is essential for efficient design of various systems, like micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). The rapid expansion of the field of MEMS motivates the search for efficient materials. We apply the Ashby methodology to select materials suitable for applications in a particular class of MEMS, namely RF-MEMS. In a first step, the selection deals with the minimization of intrinsic residual stresses for thin films deposited by the evaporation process. In a second step, the selection is based on the search of materials having a high pull-in tension and a high quality factor for the bridge of RF-MEMS.