Reliability of MEMS in Shock Environments: 2000-2020

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Materials Science
• Reliability Engineering

Background:

• Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are increasingly used in demanding applications like automotive, IoT, and aerospace.
• Understanding MEMS reliability under shock conditions is critical due to their widespread deployment in harsh environments.
• Existing literature offers broad overviews but lacks a focused review on MEMS reliability specifically in shock environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize research on MEMS reliability in shock environments from 2000 to 2020.
• To identify key advancements and challenges across six critical sub-areas of MEMS shock reliability.
• To propose future research directions for enhancing MEMS resilience in shock-prone applications.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of MEMS reliability studies focusing on shock environments (2000-2020).
• Categorization of reviewed studies into six sub-areas: microstructure response, experimental methods, shock-resistant designs, reliability models, system-level reliability, and coupled effects.
• Analysis of trends, methodologies, and findings within each sub-area.

Main Results:

• Significant progress in understanding MEMS microstructure response and shock experimental techniques.
• Development of shock-resistant microstructures and reliability quantification models.
• Emerging research on electronics-system-level reliability and the coupling of shock with other environmental factors.

Conclusions:

• This review consolidates the state-of-the-art in MEMS shock reliability, addressing a critical knowledge gap.
• Identified research gaps and trends provide a roadmap for future investigations.
• Future research should focus on integrated system-level reliability and multi-factor shock interactions for more robust MEMS devices.