Research on High Structural Strength MEMS S&A Device for Micro Initiator

In order to enhance the fabrication precision and the structural strength of MEMS S&A (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System Safety-and-Arming)device simultaneously, a novel MEMS S&A device with the metal/silicon composite barrier has been introduced. The device is mainly based on the silicon substrate. By designing the reinforce metal layer on the silicon barrier, the technical contradiction between structural precision and strength can be solved. Based on the electro-thermal principle, the MEMS S&A device can generate 1 mm bi-direction displacement in 0.9 s to achieve status conversion. The detonation tests results show that: Under the armed mode, the flyer can fly out smoothly; Under the safe mode, the flyer will hit the composite barrier directly. The silicon part is broken, but the metal part remains intact. Confined by the metal part, the broken silicon will not fly out to form a secondary flyer. Therefore, the structural strength of the device is effectively improved. The total size of MEMS S&A device is 8 mm×15 mm× 0.75 mm, the minimum structure width is 5 μm, and the anti-overload ability is 10 000 g. This MEMS S&A device characterizes miniaturization and integration. © 2022 Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved.