Nanoelectromechanical switch with low voltage drive

The triode structure vertical carbon nanotube based nanoelectromechanical switch shows excellent low voltage drive (similar to 4.5 V), owing to its vertical gate and the narrow gap between structural elements. The insulator deposition and the selective etching process steps simplify fabrication through self-alignment. The thickness of the insulator determines the width of the gap and the etching process, used to produce the vertical gate, removes the need for a complicated lithography step. The low drive voltage increases device stability and reliability and allows the device to be deployed in a wide range of applications. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.