High-frequency, liquid metal, latching relay array

Abstract

An electrical relay array using conducting liquid in the switching mechanism. The relay array is amenable to manufacture by micro-machining techniques. In each element of the relay array, two electrical contacts are held a small distance apart. The facing surfaces of the contacts each support a droplet of a conducting liquid, such as a liquid metal. An actuator, coupled to one of the electrical contacts, is energized in a first direction to reduce the gap between the electrical contacts, causing the two conducting liquid droplets to coalesce and complete an electrical circuit. The actuator is then de-energized and the contacts return to their starting position. The liquid droplets remain coalesced because of surface tension. The electrical circuit is broken by energizing an actuator to increase the gap between the electrical contacts to break the surface tension bond between the conducting liquid droplets. The droplets remain separated when the actuator is de-energized because there is insufficient conducting liquid to bridge the gap between the contacts. Additional conductors may be included in the assembly to provide a coaxial structure and allow for high frequency switching. In an exemplary embodiment, the actuator is a piezoelectric actuator and the conducting liquid is a liquid metal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.