| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| MEMS and NEMS Group | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session MN+BI+EM+SS+TR-TuM |
| Session: | Microelectromechanics: Relays to RF/Surfaces in Micro- and Nano- Systems |
| Presenter: | Chris Keimel, Menlo Micro |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
For the past 150 years, the mechanical relay was one of the original building blocks of electrical systems, for power electronics, controls, and even computing. With the introduction of the transistor in the middle of the 20th century, many industries were transformed with the introduction of ubiquitous, low-cost switches (solid-state) that could be manufactured by the billions with highly advanced equipment and manufacturing processes. Still today, many industries, especially power distribution and controls, are still not able to live with the tradeoffs of solid-state technologies (leakages, losses, lack of air-gap, thermal) and continue to employ large, slow, and costly mechanical relays which have evolved only slightly over the past 50+ years. The miniaturization of the mechanical relay through MEMS technology, coupled with materials innovations, will enable a new class of devices capable of connecting (wireless control) and controlling (distributed power) today’s and the futures billions of automated electrical nodes.
We have developed electrostatically actuated MEMS relays capable of switching in ~3usec, sustaining more than 400V across its open contacts and controlling loads of 10s of watts to a few kilowatts. Ohmic MEMS switch with creep resistant metal alloy beams, and a highly reliable ruthenium contact has been developed based on methodical failure mode analysis taking into account material, mechanical and electrical constraints. The ohmic relays, when applied to RF applications, deliver multi throw configurations capable of <0.3dB insertion loss from DC to 3GHz combined with the ability to handle 25W of RF power.
A metal MEMS switch technology has been developed from the ground up through material, process, device, package and electronic integration innovations. The combination of fast microsecond switching speed and broadband (DC to RF) signal operation along with the ability to control amperes of current and sustain hundreds of volts across micron sized air gaps has enabled the miniaturization of the mechanical relay for broad ranging applications from wireless infrastructure to the Industrial IOT.