Push–Push Electrothermal MEMS Actuators with Si-to-Si Contact for DC Power Switching Applications

MEMS switches offer great advantages over solid-state and conventional electromechanical switches, including a compact size and high isolation. This paper presents a novel silicon-to-silicon (Si-to-Si) MEMS switch featuring two suspended actuated platforms for DC power switching applications. The proposed design uniquely incorporates dual suspended chevron actuators, enabling bidirectional actuation, enhancing force generation, and improving overall switching performance. Leveraging the robustness of silicon, this Si-to-Si contact switch aims to enhance the reliability of MEMS-based DC power switches. Testing of a fabricated device in the PiezoMUMPs process demonstrated that a 2 μm initial contact gap closes at 1.1 <i>V</i>_DC, with a total actuation power of 246 mW. The switch exhibits a linear voltage-current response up to 5 mA of switching current and achieves a minimum contact resistance of ~294 ± 2 Ω, one of the lowest reported for Si-to-Si contacts. This low contact resistance is attributed to the suspended contact platforms, which mitigate misalignment. The measured response time was 4 ms for turn-on and 2.5 ms for turn-off. This switch withstood a breakdown voltage of up to 376 V across the 2 µm contact gap. Moreover, the 200 nm thick oxide layer separating the actuation and signal lines exhibited breakdown at 183 V. These findings highlight the potential of the switch for high-voltage applications and pave the way for further enhancements to improve its reliability in harsh environments.