Analysis of Practical Scaling Limits in Nanoelectromechanical Switches

The trend of miniaturization, along with modern microfabrication facilities, has led to the development of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) switches for use in low power and harsh environment applications. Dimensional scaling is attractive to improve integration density and operating voltage of NEMS devices. However, its effect on switch performance, leakage and dynamic power as well as practical limits on dimensional scaling are not well studied. Existing work in this area models the scaling trend and device performance based on parameters like voltage and dimensions. Although, most of them do not consider the effects of some nanoscale phenomena (surface forces, tunneling current) and leakage currents at G and D (off-state leakage), which can greatly affect circuit performance. This paper reports modeling and analysis of scaling effects and practical limits of scaling in cantilever-structured NEMS switches considering effects at nanoscale dimensions. It also analyzes the effects from a circuit level perspective, which corresponds to the end application of these NEMS structures. The goal of this paper is to establish a working range of dimensions and parameters which could result in reliable operating NEMS devices that can be incorporated into circuits.