Hermeticity and stiction in MEMS packaging

Exposure of operating MEMS structures to atmospheric gasses may have deleterious effects on device performance. Here we consider from a phenomenological point of view the effects that moisture has on both short- and long-term performance characteristics of Texas Instruments' Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). As an array of up to 1.3 million mirrors, a single DMD can provide a wealth of statistical information; compilations of device statistics provide thorough descriptions of effects that may be obtained through static or operational aging with a variety of package environments. The detection sensitivity of our test methods provides significant insight into the global and local effects of package environment, including the effects of water on device operation.