RF NEM capacitive switch based on dense horizontal arrays of CNTs

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been considered one of the most promising material to make nanodevices, in particular nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), due to their remarkable mechanical (Young's modulus ∼ 1 TPa) and electrical (high conductivity for metallic nanotubes) properties, nevertheless their low mass. Several NEMS device categories based on carbon nanotubes have been reported in the literature: sensors [1], non-volatile memories [2], tunable oscillators [3] and nanoswitches [4], which offer high speed at low voltage and power. However, the majority of these works are based on individual tubes, with poor control of the device fabrication, which makes questionable their interest for integrated circuit applications. Hayamizu et al [5] reported the fabrication of nan ore lays based on dense arrays of nanotubes, starting from a CNT-wafer. Based on the CNTs array configuration, here we present, for the first time, the fabrication and the characterization of a capacitive shunt NEM switch whose movable electrode is made up of a horizontal CNTs membrane, that could be used for future RF applications. © 2010 IEEE.