%0 Journal Article
%T Volatile and non-volatile nano-electromechanical switches fabricated in a CMOS-compatible silicon-on-insulator foundry process
%V 11
%N 1
%P 140
%W https://hdl.handle.net/1983/8584cd2f-4e84-401e-9e25-a1a32b899b6a
%U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41378-025-00964-w
%X Abstract
            
              Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches have the advantages of zero leakage current, abrupt switching characteristics, and harsh environmental capabilities. This makes them a promising component for digital computing circuits when high energy efficiency under extreme environmental conditions is important. However, to make NEM-based logic circuits commercially viable, NEM switches must be manufacturable in existing semiconductor foundry platforms to guarantee reliable switch fabrication and very large-scale integration densities, which remains a big challenge. Here, we demonstrate the use of a commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) foundry platform (
              iSiPP50G
              by IMEC, Belgium) to implement monolithically integrated silicon (Si) NEM switches. Using this SOI foundry platform featuring sub-200 nm lithography technology, we implemented two different types of NEM switches: (1) a volatile 3-terminal (3-T) NEM switch with a low actuation voltage of 5.6 V and (2) a bi-stable 7-terminal (7-T) NEM switch, featuring either volatile or non-volatile switching behavior, depending on the switch contact design. The experimental results presented here show how an established CMOS-compatible SOI foundry process can be utilized to realize highly integrated Si NEM switches, removing a significant barrier towards scalable manufacturing of high performance and high-density NEM-based programmable logic circuits and non-volatile memories.
%G en
%J Microsystems & Nanoengineering
%A Li, Yingying
%A Bleiker, Simon J.
%A Worsey, Elliott
%A Dagon, Maël
%A Edinger, Pierre
%A Takabayashi, Alain Yuji
%A Quack, Niels
%A Verheyen, Peter
%A Bogaerts, Wim
%A Gylfason, Kristinn B.
%A Pamunuwa, Dinesh
%A Niklaus, Frank
%D 2025-07-11