Direct Contact-Area Computation for MEMS Using Real Topographic Surface Data

Direct computation of interfacial contact area for microelectromechanical-system applications was performed numerically using the measured device surface topography and the material hardness to define the flow stress of an individual element. The simulation results compared well with the established contact-area determination methods and also introduced new capabilities that enabled the visualization of the spatial distribution of contact spots to be computationally mapped and rendered directly onto device surfaces.