Nanoelectromechanical switch with low voltage drive

The triode structure vertical carbon nanotube based nanoelectromechanical switch shows excellent low voltage drive (∼4.5 V), owing to its vertical gate and the narrow gap between structural elements. The insulator deposition and the selective etching process steps simplify fabrication through self-alignment. The thickness of the insulator determines the width of the gap and the etching process, used to produce the vertical gate, removes the need for a complicated lithography step. The low drive voltage increases device stability and reliability and allows the device to be deployed in a wide range of applications.