Effects of electrostatic charge accumulation during MEMS fabrication

Electrostatic charge transfer during the MEMS fabrication processes poses problems when the charge accumulates on the MEMS device. This can cause both particle attraction to the charged micro-system or its components as well as malfunctions. An example of the effects of such phenomena is presented for the case of an electrostatic comb drive, where parts of the device are contaminated through electrostatic attraction (ESA). The results of the electrostatic field measurements performed during one fabrication process in MEMS devices are shown and a solution for overcoming the ESA effects is proposed.