On-chip system for measuring mechanical properties of single-crystal silicon micro structures

An on-chip system for measuring fracture and fatigue properties of single-crystal silicon micro structures has been designed, in which the testing samples and the electrostatic comb actuators are integrated. The structures and operating principle of the testing system are described in the article. The relationship of driving voltage and driving force, structural stiffness and resonant frequency of the electrostatic comb actuators are calculated. The testing system is fabricated using MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) bulk-silicon processing techniques. Static and dynamic bending experiments of the fabricated testing system are carried on the microscope stage. The results of the experiments are compared and contrasted with those of the ANSYS simulation, which shows that this testing system is stable and is able to measure fracture and fatigue properties of single-crystal silicon micro structures.