Reconfigurable Submicron Electromechanical Switch with Volatile/Non-Volatile Conversion for Radiation-Hardened...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Micro- and nanoelectromechanical (MEM/NEM) switches are crucial for high-radiation environments like nuclear and space industries.
• Current MEM/NEM systems require separate volatile switches for logic and non-volatile switches for memory.
• A single MEM/NEM switch capable of both functions has not been previously demonstrated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a single reconfigurable submicron electromechanical switch with on-demand volatile/non-volatile conversion.
• To enable unified integration of logic and memory in radiation-hardened electronics.
• To demonstrate the switch's performance in high-radiation environments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a well-engineered nanowire (NW) cantilever for switch design.
• Leveraged bidirectional Lorentz forces controlled by applied magnetic fields and ON-state bias current for mode selection.
• Employed a reverse driving current for non-volatile mode reset, modulating Lorentz, mechanical restoring, and adhesive forces.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a reconfigurable nanowire switch with on-demand conversion between volatile and non-volatile modes.
• Achieved selective operation via magnetic field and bias current, with reset using reverse current.
• Experimentally verified radiation-hard performance up to 10 Mrad ⁶⁰Co gamma irradiation with no degradation.

Conclusions:

• The developed NW-based electromechanical switch successfully integrates logic and memory functions.
• The switch exhibits exceptional radiation hardness, far exceeding silicon-based transistors.
• This technology offers potential for reduced data transfer time and lower power consumption in radiation-hardened electronics.