| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| MEMS and NEMS | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session MN+AM-WeA |
| Session: | Emerging Materials & Fabrication Technologies toward Scalable & Additive Nanomanufacturing II |
| Presenter: | Tsu-Jae Liu, University of California at Berkeley |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The proliferation of mobile electronic devices and the emergence of applications such as wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things have brought energy efficiency to the fore of challenges for future information-processing devices. The energy efficiency of a digital logic integrated circuit is fundamentally limited by non-zero transistor off-state leakage current. Mechanical switches have zero leakage current and potentially can overcome this fundamental limit. Contact adhesive force sets a lower limit for the switching energy of a mechanical switch, however, and also directly impacts its performance.
Stable operation with high endurance is a key requirement of switches for digital logic applications, and generally is a challenge for mechanical devices. The reliability of a miniature relay is limited not by structural fatigue or dielectric charging, but by contact oxidation or stiction.
This invited talk will begin with a review of recent progress toward the development of a reliable nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) relay technology for digital logic applications. It will then discuss the influence of contacting electrode material properties on relay performance and reliability. Opportunities for ultra-low-power computing with relays will be described.