Design, Modeling, and Simulation of a New Nanoelectromechanical Switch for Low-Power Applications

Abstract

We present analysis and modeling of a new innovative nanoelectromechanical switch (NEMS) with virtually zero leakage current, 1–3-V operation voltage, 1–10-ns switching time, and small footprint. In addition to acting as a simple switch, the physical structure of NEMS enables positioning of multiple contacts to realize functional logic gates in a single device. The implementation of basic two (or more) input logic gates using a single device improves reliability and reduces charging delay time. The reduction in the number of devices also improves yield and power while simplifying implementation. To evaluate NEMS design, we present an accurate NEMS SPICE circuit simulation model which enables the measurement of NEMS timing and power requirement. Based on the model and the device fabrication data, we show that NEMS ISCAS-85 circuit shows significant improvement over CMOS technology counterpart (using 65- and 45-nm technology).