NEMS switches: Opportunities and challenges in emerging IC technologies

The active search for candidates of an ideal switching device for low-voltage logic and ultralow-power applications has stimulated new explorations of contact-mode switches (relays) based on micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). This has been driven by the fundamental advantages that mechanical devices offer, such as ideally abrupt switching with zero off-state leakage, suitable for harsh and extreme environments, and very small footprints (e.g., particularly with NEMS). This digest paper is focused upon reviewing the state-of-the-art NEMS switching devices (particularly Si and SiC NEMS), and the potential and possibilities towards enabling logic circuit components and integration with Si and SiC circuits, respectively. We also discuss the opportunities and challenges in other technical aspects, including materials, processes, device design, nanoscale contacts, lifetime and reliability, scaling, and the perspective of monolithic 3D integration with the advancing 3D transistors.