Design and fabrication of SiGe MEMS structures with high intrinsic ESD robustness

The mechanical response of electrostatically-actuated MEMS to ESD stress leads to contact breakdown or to discharges across micro-gaps. This is the root cause of most MEMS failures under ESD stress. This paper discusses improvement of the intrinsic ESD robustness of SiGe MEMS from Class0 (<;250V) to more than Class1 (>;500V), through smart design variations and higher mechanical stiffness. A MEMS-based one-time ESD-protection fuse with pre-defined trigger voltage is shown as an application.