Micromachined integrated shock protection for MEMS

This paper reports the design and analysis of two concepts for shock protection of MEMS using nonlinear springs and soft coatings. The two concepts (nonlinear springs and soft coatings) could improve shock protection by reducing the secondary impact of a moveable MEMS device to shocks stops and by dissipating its energy in a reliable manner. We analyze the merits and demerits of each concept using simulation and ranges of shock design parameters are suggested to enhance performance. Simulations reveal that the nonlinear spring shock stops are capable of reducing impulses by over 90% while soft coatings may reduce impulses by 40%.