Low Voltage Nanoelectromechanical Switches Based on Silicon Carbide Nanowires

We report experimental demonstrations of electrostatically actuated, contact-mode nanoelectromechanical switches based on very thin silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires (NWs). These NWs are lithographically patterned from a 50 nm thick SiC layer heteroepitaxially grown on single-crystal silicon (Si). Several generic designs of in-plane electrostatic SiC NW switches have been realized, with NW widths as small as similar to 20 nm and lateral switching gaps as narrow as similar to 10 nm. Very low switch-on voltages are obtained, from a few volts down to similar to 1 V level. Two-terminal, contact-mode hot switching with high on/off ratios (>10(2) or 10(3)) has been demonstrated repeatedly for many devices. We find enhanced switching performance in bare SIC NWs, with lifetimes exceeding those based on metallized SiC NWs.