Hi Lidu,

Yes, you are correct. The breakdown strength can be much higher than 3 V/um in
MEMS
devices. As the distance between the electrodes decreases and approaches the
mean
free path of molecules in the surrounding gas, there is a decreased likelihood
of
ionizing collisions between molucules.

Breakdown strengths of MEMS devices can therefore be up to 2 orders of magnitude
greater than those of macro-scale devices. Please see Marc Madou's "Fundamentals
of
Microfabrication" for a good overview and references.

Best Wishes,

Craig McGray
Dartmouth College


[email protected] wrote:

> Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 11:32:57 -0700
> From: Lidu Huang 
> Organization: Fujitsu Laboratories of America
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [mems-talk] Electric breakdown in MEMS air gap
>
> Hi,
>
> Could someone provide some data on electric breakdown
> in MEMS air gap?
>
> For usual electro-mechanical device, the electric field
> strength to prevent arcing is typically set at 3 (V/um).
> Would the breakdown strength be higher for MEMS devices?
>
> Thanks!
> Lidu Huang