The effects of surface contamination on resistance degradation of hot-switched low-force MEMS electrical contacts

This work investigated the relationship between the resistance degradation in low-force metal contacts and hot-switched operational conditions representative of MEMS devices. A modified nano-indentation apparatus was used to bring electrically-biased gold and platinum surfaces into contact at a load of 100 μN. The applied normal force and electrical contact resistance of the contact materials was measured simultaneously. The influence of parallel discharge paths for stored electrical energy in the contact circuit is discussed in relation to surface contamination decomposition and the observed resistance degradation.