Spencer Publishes MEM Switch Contact Research
February 17, 2022Share story
Microelectromechanical (MEM) switches are tiny devices鈥攊magine the diameter of a single strand of hair or smaller鈥攖hat are crucial parts of cell phones and radios.聽A聽study of the changes in conductivity of specific types of MEM switch聽contacts is the subject of a paper co-authored by engineering professor Matthew Spencer and his students Ethan Falicov 鈥�21 and Jessica Marvin 鈥�23 (first and second author, respectively).
The paper 鈥淏reakdown and Healing of Tungsten-Oxide Films on Microelectromechanical Relay Contacts鈥� was published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers鈥� Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.
鈥淭his work examined a type of MEM switch with tungsten contacts, which were used in this application to improve the endurance of MEM switch contacts,鈥� says Spencer. 鈥淲e observed that the resistance of tungsten contacts increases quickly in atmosphere, and we studied how to restore low resistance with聽electrical stress. This let us trace the source of these resistance changes, which occur because of the behavior of charge traps in tungsten oxides that form on the switch surfaces.鈥�
While the current practical application of MEM switches is for cell phones and radios, Spencer says聽MEM switches with tungsten contacts could have high endurance, which could enable them to be used in new applications, like low-power computing.
鈥淭his work could be extended by studying the聽resistance changes at different temperatures or under different atmospheric conditions, like humidity or gas composition,鈥� he says. 鈥淪tudying the resistance change under these conditions could inform types of packaging and environmental sealing that improve MEM switch properties.鈥�