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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
A specific experimental setup combining nanoindentation and electrical inputs has been developed in order to determine the reliability and the performances of Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) which include thin free-standing elements like micro-switches applications. The evolution of the electrical resistance with respect to a mechanical solicitation applied on the contact, are henceforth available. The description of the set-up goes with a brief overview of the tests performed on a gold ohmic switch. A discussion is developed considering the mechanisms involved in the contact response. This is based on a confrontation among the experimental results, the analytical modeling and also finite-element analysis.