Dual-beam, six-terminal nanoelectromechanical relays

A novel design for a six-terminal nanoelectromechanical relay is presented. The design includes a secondary beam in the signal pathway of the device, which allows direct contact between the source and drain. The advantages of the new design include avoidance of fabrication-based contact degradation during the isolation etch, lower sensitivity to high gap variations and reduction in the number of contacts needed to close the signal pathway. Also, the new design introduces a novel anti-stiction mechanism. An analytical model is presented which compares the mechanical behavior of the new design to the older design. The devices are fabricated using a silicon nitride hard mask with an ammonium hydroxide based etchant. An inverter made using the new design is demonstrated.