US Patent 7423287 - Measuring residual stress in MEMS

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7423287.html

During the manufacture of MEMS devices stress can develop along the movable microcomponents being fabricated. This patent from Qualcomm teaches providing several electrical connection portions in the MEMS structure designed to break based on predetermined stress levels in order to monitor the stress. Claim 1 reads:

1. A device for measuring residual stress of a deposited conductive material, comprising:

a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) including a material; and

a plurality of disconnectable electrical paths,

wherein said plurality of paths are configured to disconnect as a function of residual stress of the material.