Dual sidewall lateral nanoelectromechanical relays with beam isolation

Abstract

Laterally actuated nanoelectromechanical (NEM) relays are implemented using a polysilicon structural layer with hafnium oxide (HfO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ) and platinum dual sidewall layers. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) HfO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> provides electrical isolation between the polysilicon beam structure and the sputtered platinum conductive channel. Dual sidewall devices are demonstrated using a Y-shaped device with two contacts that connect source and drain upon actuation. Fabricated devices show up to 1μA current passing between source and drain without beam current flow, confirming successful isolation.