Lorentz Force-Actuated Bidirectional Nanoelectromechanical Switch with an Ultralow Operation Voltage.

ABSTRACT

The high operating voltage of conventional nanoelectromechanical switches, typically tens of volts, is much higher than the driving voltage of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuit (∼1 V). Though the operating voltage can be reduced by adopting a narrow air gap, down to several nanometers, this leads to formidable manufacturing challenges and occasionally irreversible switch failures due to the surface adhesive force. Here, we demonstrate a new nanowire-morphed nanoelectromechanical (NW-NEM) switch structure with ultralow operation voltages. In contrast to conventional nanoelectromechanical switches actuated by unidirectional electrostatic attraction, the NW-NEM switch is bidirectionally driven by Lorentz force to allow the use of a large air gap for excellent electrical isolation, while achieving a record-low driving voltage of <0.2 V. Furthermore, the introduction of the Lorentz force allows the NW-NEM switch to effectively overcome the adhesion force to recover to the turn-off state.