A bi-stable silicon nanofin nanoelectromechanical switch based on van der Waals force for non-volatile memory applications

Abstract

We present a silicon nanofin (Si-NF) which can be actuated bi-directionally by electrostatic force between two contact surfaces. The switch is able to maintain its contact leveraging on van der Waals force that holds the Si-NF to either terminal without on-hold bias, thus showing a bi-stable hysteresis behavior. The measured pull-in voltage VPI and VRESET is 10V and -12V respectively, confirming that the switch can be reset by the opposite electrode. Since the switch toggles between two stable states, therefore it can be an ideal device for non-volatile memory (NVM) application.