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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jan 13.
Published in final edited form as: J Microelectromech Syst. 2012 Jul 13;21(5):1172–1186. doi: 10.1109/JMEMS.2012.2203789

Fig. 13.

Fig. 13

SEM micrographs showing the different failure modes in Chevron-latch type of device after four million cycles of operation. (a) Fracture at a hinge joint due to fatigue. (b) Magnified view of the fatigue failure in the region highlighted in A. (c) Illustration of oxidation and plastic deformation in the electrothermal strips of the actuator. (d) Creep and plastic deformation in the electrothermal actuator beams due to large stresses as they operate the large V-shaped pawl in the move down actuator. (e) Plastic deformation in the beam that orients the release-lock structure and the teeth of the microelectrode leading to misalignment that hinders the movement mechanism of the microelectrode.