US 12,700,557 B2Granted

Electromechanical switch

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorsAdam Fruehling, Scott Summerfelt

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An apparatus includes a semiconductor structure having a cavity, a first terminal on a first cavity side, and a second terminal on a second cavity side. The second terminal includes an extension that overlaps part of the cavity. The extension includes a first contact. The apparatus includes a bendable beam extending from the first cavity side and includes a metal layer coupled to the first terminal. The beam has opposite first and second beam sides. The first beam side couples to the first terminal, and the second beam side faces the second cavity side. The beam includes a second contact that overlaps at least a portion of the extension and faces the first contact. An actuator is configured to bend the bendable beam around a first axis, and bend the bendable beam around a second axis orthogonal to the first axis by moving the second beam side against the extension.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a structure having a cavity, and first and second cavity sides on opposite sides of the cavity;
a first electrical terminal on the first cavity side of the structure;
a second electrical terminal on the second cavity side of the structure, and the second electrical terminal including an extension that includes a first electrical contact;
a beam extending from the first cavity side and bendable around more than one axis, the beam including:
a metal layer electrically coupled to the first electrical terminal;
opposite first and second beam sides, in which the first beam side is coupled to the first electrical terminal;
and
a second electrical contact on the second beam side and electrically coupled to the metal layer, in which the second electrical contact overlaps at least a portion of the extension and faces the first electrical contact;
and
an actuator configurable to bend the beam around a first axis, and configurable to bend the beam around a second axis different from the first axis by moving the second beam side towards the extension.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/169,013Filed 14 Feb 2023
Published: US 2024/0274387 A115 Aug 2024
Granted: 4 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H01H 1/50
Contacts: means for increasing contact pressure, preventing vibration of contacts, holding contacts together after engagement, or biasing contacts…
H01H 59/00
Electrostatic relays
H01H 59/0009
Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays: making use of micromechanics
H02N 1/008
Of the gap-closing type: laterally driven motors, e.g. of the comb-drive type