NEMS Contact

Welcome to nemscontact.org.  This is a web-based material database for researchers and technology developers who are pursuing micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) switches.

MEMS and NEMS switches are a next-generation, post-CMOS logic and memory technology that have potential for ultralow power operation.  computer chips. However, MEMS and NEMS switches suffer from insufficient reliability. One of the main failure modes is through the formation of an insulating polymer on the electrodes. This “tribopolymer” is formed from adsorbed contaminants by the combined effects mechanical contact stresses, electric field, current flow, and surface catalysis. Our goal is to provide information, literature summaries and lists, and access to data, theory, modeling, and experimental tools so that students and professionals can search for and design reliable MEMS and NEMS switches.

This site was created by researchers support by the National Science Foundation‘s program in Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer the Future, part of the Materials Genome Initiative.

Click here to access our database. This database is a list of pre-selected elements and compounds we have initially compiled, which includes, for each material: (1) a list of the properties most relevant to MEMS and NEMS electrode design; (2) summaries of and links to reference information about the material, including its use in MEMS or NEMS switches.

This is a crowd-sourced project: we invite you to contribute additional information, links, and references with summaries. Please provide these by email to: carpick_at_seas.upenn.edu

Please address any comments, questions, or requests to: carpick_at_seas.upenn.edu