Tunneling nanoelectromechanical switches based on compressible self-assembled molecules
Name
1083765897-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
15.48 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
81d5dabdcdb5b0be704af64baedf9cfc
Author(s)
Han, Jinchi
Advisor(s)
Vladimir Bulović and Jeffrey H. Lang.
Alternative Title
Tunneling NEM switches based on compressible self-assembled molecules
Date Issued
2018
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches are investigated as a promising candidate for energy-efficient logic devices. They promise quasi-zero static leakage, large on-off current ratio, small subthreshold slope and high robustness in harsh environments. However, strong van der Waals interaction at the nanoscale usually results in high hysteresis and the risk of stiction failure, thereby bringing about an inevitably high actuation voltage and unfavorable dynamic power consumption in practical device designs. The low switching speed, poor reliability and absence of scalable manufacturing technique also set barriers to the maturation of NEM switches to complement or substitute semiconductor transistors for applications with energy constraints. To accelerate the development of NEM switches for digital logic, this thesis presents a novel squeezable NEM switch, termed a "squitch", based on direct tunneling through a metal-molecule-metal junction, whose tunneling gap can be electromechanically modulated by compressing the molecular layer. A sub-5 nm change in the tunneling gap in the absence of direct contact between electrodes leads to at least several orders of magnitude current modulation, enabling a squitch to exhibit a low actuation voltage near 2 V, a low hysteresis and a high switching speed, which support the prospects of squitches as ultra-low power beyond-CMOS devices. A scalable and versatile dielectrophoretic trapping technique for fabrication of devices involving nanoparticles in design has also been developed in this thesis as a critical fabrication step.
Description
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 115-122).
Subjects
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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