Nanoelectromechanical relay

A nanoelectromechanical (NEM) relay is an electrically actuated switch that is built on the nanometer scale using semiconductor fabrication techniques.

Attached to the source is a cantilevered beam that can be bent into contact with the drain in order to make an electrical connection.

The layer below is then selectively etched away, leaving thin structures, such as the relay's beam, cantilevered above the wafer, and free to bend laterally.

NEM relays can be fabricated using a back end of line compatible process, allowing them to be built on top of CMOS.

[7] In the 1980s, surface micromachining techniques were developed[8] and the technology was applied to the fabrication of switches, allowing for smaller, more efficient relays.

Therefore, it would be possible to create a mechanical computer using NEM relays that operates at a much lower clock speed than CMOS logic, but performs larger, more complex calculations during each cycle.

[2] There are many applications, such as in the automotive, aerospace, or geothermal exploration businesses, in which it would be beneficial to have a microcontroller that could operate at very high temperatures.

However, at high temperatures, semiconductors used in typical microcontrollers begin to fail as the electrical properties of the materials they are made of degrade, and the transistors no longer function.