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Nanoelectromechanical Voltage-to-Time Converter for Low-Power IoT Devices
University of Bristol, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Bristol, U.K.ORCID iD: 0009-0008-3597-9913
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Micro and Nanosystems.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6811-590X
University of Bristol, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Bristol, U.K.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2770-8493
University of Bristol, School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Bristol, U.K.
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2026 (English)In: Journal of microelectromechanical systems, ISSN 1057-7157, E-ISSN 1941-0158, Vol. 35, no 3, p. 372-374Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) relays have emerged as a compelling alternative to solid-state switches for digital logic and power gating due to their near-zero off-state leakage and abrupt turn on/off characteristics. Here, we demonstrate a novel application of a dual-beam, 4-terminal NEM relay to function as a direct voltage comparator for Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM) encoding in Voltage-to-Time converter (VTC) applications. A prototype device with an actuation airgap of 400nm was fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate and the switch contact features were coated with ruthenium to improve the cycling lifetime. The pull-in and pull-out voltages of the relay were measured to be 13.21 V and 10.22 V, respectively. In subsequent experiments the relay successfully converted a slow sinusoidal signal into a duty-cycle-modulated output. Although the input frequency was deliberately kept low to accommodate reliability issues in the prototype, this work serves as a proof-of-concept to showcase the potential of using our 4-T NEM relay as a building block in VTC applications at the edge of the network.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) , 2026. Vol. 35, no 3, p. 372-374
Keywords [en]
analog to digital converter, IoT application, NEM/MEM relay, pulse width modulation, switch, voltage-to-time converter
National Category
Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering Telecommunications
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-382024DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2026.3679413ISI: 001743243300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105036736058OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-382024DiVA, id: diva2:2061679
Note

QC 20260522

Available from: 2026-05-22 Created: 2026-05-22 Last updated: 2026-06-15Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Advances in Nanoelectromechanical Switch Integration: From Device-Level Fabrication to Circuit-Level Implementation
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Advances in Nanoelectromechanical Switch Integration: From Device-Level Fabrication to Circuit-Level Implementation
2026 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The rapid growth of data-intensive applications such as edge computing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things is pushing the limits of conventional CMOS electronics. In these systems, static leakage currents increasingly dominate power consumption. Nanoelectro-mechanical (NEM) switches are promising candidates for beyond-CMOS electronics due to their near-zero off-state leakage, abrupt switching characteristics, and robustness under extreme operating conditions, offering a route to dramatically reduce static power dissipation in future integrated circuits. However, practical NEM-based systems require scalable device architectures, reliable switch contacts, and CMOS-compatible integration strategies. This thesis addresses these challenges through the realization and integration of a CMOS-compatible NEM switch device library within commercial CMOS foundry platforms. The work investigates three complementary NEM switch architectures for logic and memory applications: a volatile three-terminal (3-T) switch, a volatile four-terminal (4-T) switch with decoupled actuation and signal paths, and a non-volatile seventerminal (7-T) switch. Building upon concepts established in earlier research within our group, the 3-T and 7-T devices are miniaturized and optimized through systematic studies of beam geometry and contact materials for low-voltage operation and improved switching behavior. A major contribution of this thesis is the optimization and experimental realization of the 4-T architecture, enabling body-bias-assisted reduction of the pull-in voltage and advanced circuit configurations. Two CMOS-compatible integration approaches are developed and experimentally validated: (1) Monolithic integration within the IMEC iSiPP50G silicon photonics SOI foundry platform, and (2) heterogeneous 3-D integration within the X-FAB XI10 SOI CMOS process. The first method enabled co-fabrication of all three NEM switch architectures on a single commercial foundry chip for the first time. Electrical characterization confirms volatile switching in the 3-T and 4-T devices, pull-in voltage reduction in the 4-T switch through body biasing, and both volatile and nonvolatile operation in the 7-T switch through contact engineering. However, in this approach, circuit scalability is limited by routing density inherent to planar integration, while Au contact stiction constrains switch reliability. The second approach addresses these limitations by vertically integrating the NEM device layer above the completed back-end-of-line (BEOL) through heterogeneously 3-D integration. This architecture alleviates routing constraints and improves device reliability using Ruthenium (Ru) switch contacts. Ru-coated devices demonstrate substantially improved cycling endurance, and a complementary inverter implemented with Ru-coated 3-T switches validates the feasibility of functional BEOL-integrated NEM circuits.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2026. p. 161
Series
TRITA-EECS-AVL ; 2026:51
Keywords
Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches, CMOS foundry integration, nonvolatile memory, contact reliability, wafer bonding, beyond-CMOS logic circuits
National Category
Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering
Research subject
Electrical Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-382596 (URN)978-91-8106-616-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2026-08-19, F3, Lindstedtvägen 26, Stockholm, 15:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Funder
EU, Horizon 2020, 871740EU, Horizon 2020, 101092018
Note

QC 20260602

Available from: 2026-06-02 Created: 2026-05-28 Last updated: 2026-06-16Bibliographically approved

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Li, YingyingBleiker, Simon J.Niklaus, Frank

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Liao, GuangweiLi, YingyingKulsreshath, Mukesh K.Bleiker, Simon J.Weerasekera, RoshanNiklaus, FrankPamunuwa, Dinesh
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