Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Matthew Eric D'Asaro

Vladimir Bulovic

Timothy Manning Swager

Hae-Seung Harry Lee

Jeffrey Hastings Lang

Ellen May Sletten

Apoorva Murarka

Trisha L Andrew

Farnaz Niroui

Annie I-Jen Wang

Parag Deotare

Electromechanical devices described herein may employ tunneling phenomena to function as low-voltage switches. Opposing electrodes may be separated by an elastically deformable layer which, in some cases, may be made up of a non-electrically conductive material. In some embodiments, the elastically deformable layer is substantially free of electrically conductive material. When a sufficient actuation voltage and/or force is applied, the electrodes are brought toward one another and, accordingly, the elastically deformable layer is compressed. Though, the elastically deformable layer prevents the electrodes from making direct contact with one another. Rather, when the electrodes are close enough to one another, a tunneling current arises therebetween. The elastically deformable layer may exhibit spring-like behavior such that, upon release of the actuation voltage and/or force, the separation distance between electrodes is restored. Thus, the electromechanical device may be actuated between open and closed switch positions.

Electromechanical device

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Matthew Eric D'Asaro