Cumulative‐Stress‐Resilient Microelectromechanical Switches for Extreme Environment Applications

ABSTRACT Reliable electronics capable of operating under various and cumulative extreme environmental stressors remain a major challenge for space, nuclear, and defense systems. Here, we report a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switch that maintains reliable operation after cumulative exposure to radiation, extreme temperatures, and mechanical shock and vibration. A thermomechanically engineered suspended structure minimizes temperature‐induced deformation across a wide temperature range while maintaining mechanical stability under shock and vibration. Radiation‐tolerant structural and contact materials are selected based on their electrical, chemical, and mechanical stability under gamma and proton irradiation. The fabricated switch maintains functional electromechanical switching after sequential exposure to mechanical shock and vibration up to 2900 g and 2000 Hz, 1 Mrad gamma irradiation, temperatures from 4 to 450 K, and 100 MeV proton irradiation at a fluence of 10 12 p/cm 2 . Following cumulative exposure, endurance testing across 16 devices yielded a median of 1.03 × 10 6 cycles to the first loss of actuation, with individual devices operating for several million cycles.