A new concept of one shot micro-switches is proposed. Different switches have been developed to achieve either ON-OFF switching or OFF-ON switching. They are based on electrothermal mechanisms. ON-OFF switching consists in breaking an electrical connection using energetic material or low melting point metal like aluminum. OFF-ON switching consists in micro-soldering locally two electrical connections. Switches commute with a few hundred of mW and do not need energy to stay in the stable OFF or ON state. These switches are particularly adapted to spatial redundancy applications that need high quality contact and reliable commutation even after long time storage. The fabrication process of these switches is based on classic MEMS technology steps (LPCVD, PECVD, copper electrodeposition, lift-off and plasma etching) and is IC compatible. Fabrication yield reaches 99%.

Volume Subject Area:
Systems and Sub-Systems
Topics:
Microelectromechanical systems, Switches, Manufacturing, Aluminum, Copper, Electrodeposition, Melting point, Metals, Plasma etching, Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, Redundancy (Engineering), Soldering, Storage
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Copyright © 2006
 by ASME
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