A methodology for reliability prediction: Thermal and RF MEMS case of studies

Microsystems as attractive as they are in terms of multi-functionality must also be able to perform their mission profile and to have a predictive reliability. However, it appears that the complexity of microsystems, their multi-disciplinarity, the heterogeneity of materials and interfaces with the external environment are new unknowns in assessing their reliability. The objective of this work is to propose a methodology to predict lifetime (Time To Failure) of microsystems. The approach that we explored is based on the intensive use of modeling and simulation, assuming real operating and environmental conditions. The achievement of our objective consists to combine the functional and failure (drift) models using the VHDL-AMS language in order to determine the TTF. To support our work, we applied this approach for predicting the reliability of two types of Microsystems: Electro-thermal micro-actuators and capacitive RF MEMS switches.