Energy consumption in micro-and nanoelectromechanical relays
Energy consumption in micro-and nanoelectromechanical relays
Electrostatically operated micro- and nanoelectromechanical (MEM/NEM) relays have been proposed as digital switches to replace transistors due to their sharp turn-on/off transient, zero leakage current between drain and source in the OFF-state, and capability to operate at far higher temperatures and radiation levels than CMOS. However, the different components associated with energy consumption in MEM/NEM relays, including the dynamic energy associated with charging the gate capacitance and static energy lost through substrate leakage, have not been investigated to date. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the energy consumption of NEM/MEM relays starting from first principles and compare against measurements carried out on silicon MEM relay prototypes. The dynamic energy consumed by a transistor in a binary switching transfer is accurately captured by 0.5CV2. This expression, which has also been used for relays, is only valid under the approximation of an unvarying capacitance C. However, the gate capacitance of an MEM/NEM relay varies as a function of gate voltage, as it is determined by the airgap between the gate electrode and the moving beam. We show how including this effect adds an extra term to the dynamic energy consumption expression. Furthermore, we investigate different current leakage mechanisms and devise a new method to estimate the substrate leakage current based on using the switching hysteresis of relays. The models, analyses, and measurement methodologies presented here constitute a set of essential techniques for accurate estimation of the energy consumption ofMEM/NEM relays in ultralow power circuit applications.
Leakage energy, microelectromechanical, nanoelectromechanical, nanomechanical computing, relay, switching energy
1969-1976
Tang, Qi
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Worsey, Elliot
154c4c60-37aa-4ecf-b7e5-b4feea5b51a0
Kulsreshath, Mukesh K.
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Fan, Yue
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Li, Yingying
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Bleiker, Simon J.
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Chong, Harold
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Niklaus, Frank
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Pamunuwa, Dinesh
cf57fb7f-b05a-48d0-a9ef-2aca5f411cc3
19 February 2025
Tang, Qi
0edc7420-a764-4d31-a3f4-83f99acd89fd
Worsey, Elliot
154c4c60-37aa-4ecf-b7e5-b4feea5b51a0
Kulsreshath, Mukesh K.
6f87916a-421f-49b9-afe4-7368fa5ef8a4
Fan, Yue
0ec28533-22d9-4e1c-b98f-853e60a8f4f0
Li, Yingying
fde40a72-fbfe-4cb4-80d6-142139aa5f0f
Bleiker, Simon J.
6c9ee820-913e-4f01-b030-2645a872d9f0
Chong, Harold
795aa67f-29e5-480f-b1bc-9bd5c0d558e1
Niklaus, Frank
c0736bfc-ea35-453e-b17e-ecf931d029ee
Pamunuwa, Dinesh
cf57fb7f-b05a-48d0-a9ef-2aca5f411cc3
Tang, Qi, Worsey, Elliot, Kulsreshath, Mukesh K., Fan, Yue, Li, Yingying, Bleiker, Simon J., Chong, Harold, Niklaus, Frank and Pamunuwa, Dinesh
(2025)
Energy consumption in micro-and nanoelectromechanical relays.
IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 72 (4), .
(doi:10.1109/TED.2025.3537945).
Abstract
Electrostatically operated micro- and nanoelectromechanical (MEM/NEM) relays have been proposed as digital switches to replace transistors due to their sharp turn-on/off transient, zero leakage current between drain and source in the OFF-state, and capability to operate at far higher temperatures and radiation levels than CMOS. However, the different components associated with energy consumption in MEM/NEM relays, including the dynamic energy associated with charging the gate capacitance and static energy lost through substrate leakage, have not been investigated to date. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the energy consumption of NEM/MEM relays starting from first principles and compare against measurements carried out on silicon MEM relay prototypes. The dynamic energy consumed by a transistor in a binary switching transfer is accurately captured by 0.5CV2. This expression, which has also been used for relays, is only valid under the approximation of an unvarying capacitance C. However, the gate capacitance of an MEM/NEM relay varies as a function of gate voltage, as it is determined by the airgap between the gate electrode and the moving beam. We show how including this effect adds an extra term to the dynamic energy consumption expression. Furthermore, we investigate different current leakage mechanisms and devise a new method to estimate the substrate leakage current based on using the switching hysteresis of relays. The models, analyses, and measurement methodologies presented here constitute a set of essential techniques for accurate estimation of the energy consumption ofMEM/NEM relays in ultralow power circuit applications.
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Published date: 19 February 2025
Keywords:
Leakage energy, microelectromechanical, nanoelectromechanical, nanomechanical computing, relay, switching energy
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Local EPrints ID: 500380
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500380
ISSN: 1557-9646
PURE UUID: 611f03f6-88ce-4910-9a8d-4da4c51491fa
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Date deposited: 28 Apr 2025 16:56
Last modified: 03 Jul 2025 01:51
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Author:
Qi Tang
Author:
Elliot Worsey
Author:
Mukesh K. Kulsreshath
Author:
Yue Fan
Author:
Yingying Li
Author:
Simon J. Bleiker
Author:
Harold Chong
Author:
Frank Niklaus
Author:
Dinesh Pamunuwa
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