SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) project describes a fabrication technology to produce sub-micron liquid metal droplet switches for analog and RF device applications. Using this technology, MEMS switches can be integrated and placed on top of conventional CMOS circuitry isolated by dielectric film. In this technology the size of the switch is restricted by lithography limit, not by metal droplet deposition process which is the case with conventional method. And hence, dense switch matrices can be made and applications of non-silicon based MEMS switches extend to, not only discrete switches, but also to programmable circuits and systems including FPGAs. If successful the miniaturized metal droplet switches will significantly lower operating voltage, possibly reducing it from tens of volts to few volts with faster switching times. Also, environmentally hazardous mercury droplet is replaced by non-toxic gallium alloy. Since gallium alloy is easy to oxidized, use of separation of oxide liquid/gas such as ammonia is proposed. The proposed technology bridges silicon based CMOS VLSI and MEMS technology. By accomplishing the objectives of this proposal the CMOS VLSI technology horizon could be extended beyond "Moore's Law"

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase-II project is aimed at developing Micro Metal Sphere (MMS) fabrication technology for Radio-Frequency (RF) Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) switch. The target applications are high-bandwidth RF switches and digitally-tunable RF modules that can be used in wireless communication systems including cell phone. The MMS technology is distinguished from conventional cantilever or bridge type MEMS switches in that it does not have suspended element and no restoring force is involved in the switch actuation. In conventional MEMS switches, the restoring force is often not able to overcome interfacial forces over time and causes the infamous stiction that leads to permanent failure. Since the MMS switch is designed to switch with free body, it does not suffer from mechanical wear and possibly free from stiction. In addition, the MMS technology can provide an extremely cost effective packaging solution replacing commonly used labor intensive and costly wafer level packaging technology. Since the MMS technology is integration-friendly with conventional silicon CMOS technology, it can be placed on top of any CMOS IC. Therefore, anticipated benefit with the MMS technology extends to size reduction. Also the MMS technology is expected to lower the activation voltage below 10V. Nano Liquid Devices (NLD) is the first U.S. company invented and developed RF-MMS process and cost effective packaging technologies that will enable mobile phone makers to design smaller, lower-cost smart phones, entry-level handsets and other mobile devices, which will accelerate the convergence of cell phones and computing for the next wave of mobile innovations. NLD's technology will enable lower-cost smart phones, which will complement and replace notebook PCs among mobile business people and students who access data and communications anywhere for work, study, social networking, and entertainment. About 1.5 billion cell phones will be produced in 2011, of which 67% will be multiband handsets, so the global impact will be enormous. NLD's RF-MMS technology will enable faster, better cell phone communications integrating voice, text and video for the average user worldwide