Modeling of The Fatigue Behavior of Micro-Switch

This thesis describes the suspended electrode's fatigue behavior in the RF-MEMS, mainly investigating the effect of temperature on this behavior. Firstly, the suggested materials for the suspended electrode design are listed with their corresponding mechanical properties. Then, the damage mechanism of fatigue of the suspended electrode is discussed, mainly including the two relationships, the one between the temperature and the stress, and the other between the temperature and the fatigue strength. Due to the importance of thermal expansion in the fixed-fixed microstructure, the compressive stress will be the critical point in our study, coupled with the residual stress, bending stress, and stretching stress, thereby predicting the fatigue life of the suspended electrode. Besides, the mechanism for buckling damage will be investigated, as this damage is highly temperature-dependent. Finally, several numerical examples and simulation models will be used to check the conclusion of this study.