Anti-Stiction Coatings are surface treatments applied to MEMS devices to prevent moving parts from permanently adhering to adjacent surfaces due to molecular forces.

What Are Anti-Stiction Coatings?

• Purpose: Prevent release stiction and in-use stiction in MEMS
• Materials: SAMs (self-assembled monolayers), fluoropolymers, DLC
• Mechanism: Reduce surface energy and van der Waals attraction
• Application: Vapor phase deposition or liquid immersion

Why Anti-Stiction Coatings Matter

MEMS devices with moving parts (accelerometers, mirrors, RF switches) can permanently stick during release etch or operation, causing device failure.

<svg viewBox="0 0 393 264" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" role="img"><rect x="0" y="0" width="393" height="264" rx="12" fill="#0d1117"/><g font-family="ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Consolas,&quot;Liberation Mono&quot;,monospace" font-size="14"><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="31.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">Stiction Failure Mechanism:</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="50.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">┌────</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9"> Moving beam </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">────┐</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="69.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">│</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">                     </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">│</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="88.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">Fixed </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">───┤</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">    </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">←</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9"> Gap (~1μm) </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">→</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">   </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">├───</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9"> Anchor</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="107.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">surface  </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">│</tspan><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">                     </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">│</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="126.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">└─────────────────────┘</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="145.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">                  </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">↓</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="164.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         Capillary forces during drying</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="183.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         Van der Waals forces when close</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="202.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">                  </tspan><tspan fill="#6e7681">↓</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="221.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         ████████████████████████</tspan></text><text xml:space="preserve" x="20" y="240.7"><tspan fill="#c9d1d9">         Permanent adhesion (stiction)</tspan></text></g></svg>

Common Anti-Stiction Solutions: