Effect of alkylsilane coating on sliding wear of silica-silicon contacts with small amplitude motion

Adhesion forces set limits for sensitivity when higher and higher sensitivity inertial sensors are to be made. The purpose of this study was to test if self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-films work as a wear resistant antistiction coating in the test structures used. The test structure was used in a novel way of measuring wear. End stopper wear was measured capacitively as a function of a large amount of contacts between a Si mass and SAM-coated silicon oxide end stoppers and the results were compared to those of the reference test structure without SAM-coating. As a result, it can be concluded that SAM-films did not fully prevent the test structures from wearing: they rather delayed the beginning of wear. The wear could be seen controversially as an increase in effective height of the end stoppers. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.