Anti-Stiction Coating

Anti-Stiction Coatings are surface treatments applied to MEMS devices to prevent moving parts from permanently adhering to adjacent surfaces due to molecular forces.

## What Are Anti-Stiction Coatings?

  • Purpose: Prevent release stiction and in-use stiction in MEMS
  • Materials: SAMs (self-assembled monolayers), fluoropolymers, DLC
  • Mechanism: Reduce surface energy and van der Waals attraction
  • Application: Vapor phase deposition or liquid immersion

## Why Anti-Stiction Coatings Matter

MEMS devices with moving parts (accelerometers, mirrors, RF switches) can permanently stick during release etch or operation, causing device failure.

Stiction Failure Mechanism: ┌──── Moving beam ────┐ │ │Fixed ───┤ ← Gap (~1μm) → ├─── Anchorsurface │ │ └─────────────────────┘ ↓ Capillary forces during drying Van der Waals forces when close ↓ ████████████████████████ Permanent adhesion (stiction)

Common Anti-Stiction Solutions:
| Coating | Contact Angle | Durability |
|---------|---------------|------------|
| FDTS SAM | >110° | Moderate |
| FOTS SAM | >105° | Good |
| Parylene | ~90° | Excellent |
| DLC | ~70-85° | Excellent |

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