High density vertical silicon NEM switches with CMOS-compatible fabrication

Presented is a resistive, vertically oriented, silicon electromechanical cantilever switch, fabricated with a two-mask top-down CMOS-compatible process. The fabricated switch has a vertical height of approximately 500 nm, a tip width of 35 nm, and an airgap of 30 nm between the cantilever and two lateral gates. Preliminary testing results show an initial pull-in voltage of 17 V with contact held by van der Waals forces even in the absence of actuation voltage. Subsequent switching occurs at 25 V. With low-cost fabrication and high integration density, therefore, the vertical nanoelectromechanical switch is a promising candidate for memory and computing applications.