Zero power plasmonic microelectromechanical device

A zero-power plasmonic microelectromechanical relay comprising:

• a substrate;
• a first cantilever disposed on the substrate, the first cantilever comprising a head, an inner pair of temperature-sensitive bimaterial legs, and an outer pair of temperature-sensitive bimaterial legs, the inner pair of legs attached to opposite sides of the head, the outer pair of legs attached to a surface of the substrate and disposed adjacent to the inner pair of legs forming first and second sets of inner and outer legs, the first and second sets of legs disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of the head;
• a first thermal isolation region connecting the inner and outer legs of the first set of legs, and a second thermal isolation region connecting the inner and outer legs of the second set of legs;
• a top metal layer attached to the head which serves as a contact element, wherein position of the contact element determines whether the relay is in an ON or OFF state;
• a source electrical contact disposed on the surface of the substrate;
• and
• a drain electrical contact disposed on the surface of the substrate, the drain contact separated from the source contact by a gap;
• wherein the head comprises a bottom metallic layer and a top insulating layer;
• wherein the head further comprises a plasmonic absorber that absorbs electromagnetic radiation within a spectral band selected for detection, and the absorption of such electromagnetic radiation causes the contact element to move toward the source and/or drain contacts;
• wherein the bimaterial legs each comprise a stack of at least two materials having different thermal expansion coefficients, the legs providing compensation for ambient temperature changes;
• and
• wherein absorption of said electromagnetic radiation by said plasmonic absorber causes the contact element to form an electrical connection between the source and drain contacts.