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A comparative study of the microtribological properties of native oxide covered single crystal silicon and silicon coated with atomic layer deposited (ALD) alumina films is presented. The dry friction and wear behavior were investigated using a novel microelectromechanical system (MEMS) tribotester. The coefficient of friction for alumina coated surfaces and for silicon uncoated surfaces was monitored before and after wear. The friction versus normal load curves of uncoated silicon can be described by a Johnson-Kendall-Roberts model with pressure dependent shear strength while for the alumina coated surfaces, a linear dependence between the friction force and the normal load was found. Both uncoated silicon surfaces and alumina coated surfaces showed a decrease of the friction force with the number of sliding cycles.