Micromechanical switches for RF communications often use gold as a contact material. While significant data exists for such contacts at contact forces larger than 200 mN and smaller 1 mN, little data exists at medium forces between these extremes. Moreover, previous studies have been unclear about the use of contact heating, particularly since voltages less than 100 mV can cause significant heating. This paper presents contact resistance data for both heated and unheated contacts with force from 0.01 to 1000 mN. Without heating, 1–10 mN of force is required to produce low, predictable resistance. However, with heating, forces as small as 0.05 mN produce low-resistance contacts, suggesting that contact heating is a valuable tool in removing insulating films and creating low-resistance, predictable contacts.
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STLE/ASME 2006 International Joint Tribology Conference
October 23–25, 2006
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Tribology Division
ISBN:
0-7918-4259-2
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Influence of Heat, Force, and Secondary Factors on Electrical Contact Resistance in Microscale Gold Contacts
Adam C. Frischknecht,
Adam C. Frischknecht
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
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Brian D. Jensen
Brian D. Jensen
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Search for other works by this author on:
Adam C. Frischknecht
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Brian D. Jensen
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Paper No:
IJTC2006-12293, pp. 1451-1457; 7 pages
Published Online:
October 2, 2008
Citation
Frischknecht, AC, & Jensen, BD. "Influence of Heat, Force, and Secondary Factors on Electrical Contact Resistance in Microscale Gold Contacts." Proceedings of the STLE/ASME 2006 International Joint Tribology Conference. Part B: Magnetic Storage Tribology; Manufacturing/Metalworking Tribology; Nanotribology; Engineered Surfaces; Biotribology; Emerging Technologies; Special Symposia on Contact Mechanics; Special Symposium on Nanotribology. San Antonio, Texas, USA. October 23–25, 2006. pp. 1451-1457. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IJTC2006-12293
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