Nano-switch for Study of Gold Contact Behavior
Date of this Version
2009Citation
ISBN: 978-1-4244-4548-6
This document has been peer-reviewed.
Abstract
In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of a new NEMS DC switch as a vehicle to characterize Au-to-Au contacts at nano-scale. The switch consists of a 1050-nm long, 200-nm wide and 50-nm thick cantilever gold beam. The measured on-state resistance values range from 83 Omega to 640 Omega and the actuation voltages from 4 V to 22 V. All measurements are conducted at a current of 1 mu A and the obtained values are in good qualitative agreement with traditional elastic-plastic contact models. The calculated switching time is 55 ns. Characterization of contacts at nano-scale will be critical for the success of NEMS devices used in ultra low-power sensors. To this end, we examine the impact of such a switch as a leakage control mechanism.
Discipline(s)
Engineering | Nanoscience and Nanotechnology