Carbon-Carbon Contacts for Robust Nanoelectromechanical Switches

摘要

Nanoscale electromechanical (NEM) contact switches are attractive complements or alternatives to solid-state silicon electronics for their minimal electrical leakage, sharp switching, and temperature and radiation tolerance. Despite the potential advantages, only limited reports exist of these devices operating reliably beyond a few cycles. This is especially true for highly-scaled devices made from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or nanowires. Here we report a novel material selection, namely the use of carbon-carbon contacts, to improve the reliability of these devices. NEM contact switches are constructed using a CNT as an active element which makes contact with a conductive diamond-like carbon (DLC) electrode when the switch is closed. Switch response times are characterized and basic logic operations demonstrated from pairs of switches. We find that the robust carbon-carbon contact, which is facile to apply to a variety of reported nanoelectromechanical architectures currently using metal electrodes, endures prolonged cycling without failure.