NEMS switch with 30 nm-thick beam and 20 nm-thick air-gap for high density non-volatile memory applications

We developed two types of titanium nitride (TiN) based nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) switches with the smallest dimensions ever made by typical “top-down” complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication technology. NEMS cantilever switch (NCLS) and NEMS clamp switch (NCS) with 30 nm-thick TiN beam and 20 nm-thick air-gap were successfully fabricated and electrically characterized. The fabricated NCLS showed ideal on/off current characteristics with an essentially zero off current, a sub-threshold slope of less than 3 mV/decade, and an on/off current ratio over 105 in air ambient. Also, the NCLS exhibited an endurance of over several hundred of switching cycles under dc and ac bias conditions in air ambient. Suspended beam memory (SBM) cell array structure was suggested for high density non-volatile memory applications.