Stiction Reduction in MEMS Fabrication via Naphthalene Sublimation

Abstract

This work describes a simple low-cost method to prevent stiction in low-stiffness suspended microstructures via naphthalene sublimation. Different microstructure types with different lengths and therefore different stiffness were fabricated and released using this technique. The results show great improvement when compared to water release. The method uses naphthalene crystal sediments acting as temporary support underneath and between suspended microstructures during solvent evaporation. Results show a significant reduction of stiction compared to similar structures released and dried without this procedure.