Designing a Double-Pole Nanoscale Relay Based on a Carbon Nanotube: A Theoretical Study

With low leakage current, and thus low power consumption and high ON/OFF ratio, nanoelectromechanical switches offer a promising basis for next-generation electronics. They also tolerate radiation, temperature variations, and external electric fields, which makes them suitable for extreme environments, as in space exploration or nuclear disaster recovery. Considering the unique elastic and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the authors present analytical expressions for the characteristic ``pull-in'' and ``pull-back'' voltages of double-pole CNT nanorelays, plus a generic model and design rules for such devices.