Effects of V additions on the mechanical behavior of Au thin films for MEMS contact switches

• Main Authors: Bannuru T., Narksitipan S., Brown W.L., Vinci R.P.
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-34247356929&partnerID=40&md5=3e5d2015ff82b33352ec9f4a506314b8; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/5270
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Au, Au-V solid solution, and Au-V2O5 dispersion films were fabricated for comparison of electrical and mechanical characteristics. Resistivity and nanoindentation hardness increased with increasing V content in all films, but the ratio of resistivity increase to hardness increase was much lower for the Au-V2O5 films. Measurements of contact force and electrical contact resistance between pairs of Au or Au-V films show that increased hardness and resistivity in the alloy films results in higher contact resistance and less adhesion than in pure Au. These results imply that the Au-V2O5 films may exhibit attractive behavior when used in a contact configuration, but this has not yet been tested.