Micromechanical electrostatic relay with geometric discontinuity

Details Micromechanical electrostatic relay with geometric discontinuity Micromechanical electrostatic relay with geometric discontinuity

1995-10-03

1997-05-13

Mintel, William

Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode

Combined with electrical contact or lead

Ball or nail head type contact, lead, or bond

257781, 257785, 257786, 310309, 310328, 200181, 200522, H01L 2348, H01L 2352, H01L 2940

Patent

active

056295650

ABSTRACT:
A micromechanical electrostatic relay has, on the one hand, a base substrate with a base electrode and a base contact piece and, on the other hand, an armature substrate with an armature spring tongue that is etched free and curved away from the base substrate and that has an armature contact piece. When a control voltage is present between the two electrodes, the spring tongue unrolls on the base substrate until it is stretched and causes the two contact pieces to touch. In order to prevent a creeping contacting and make the closing and opening of the contact abrupt, a geometric discontinuity is provided in the wedge-shaped air gap between the two electrodes. This discontinuity is formed by a partially curved, partially straight design of the spring tongue, by an offset of the beginning of the electrode relative to the spring attachment, and/or by an air gap between the spring attachment and the base electrode. The result is an unambiguous switching hysteresis with trip events when closing and opening the contact.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4480162 (1984-10-01), Greenwood
patent: 4654555 (1987-03-01), Ohba et al.
patent: 4672257 (1987-06-01), Oota et al.
patent: 4742263 (1988-05-01), Harnden, Jr. et al.
patent: 4959515 (1990-09-01), Zavracky et al.
patent: 5258591 (1993-11-01), Buck
patent: 5367136 (1994-11-01), Buck
patent: 5544001 (1996-08-01), Ichiya et al.

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