Liquid metal micro-relay with suspended heaters and multilayer wiring
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorsYou Kondoh, Tsutomu Takenaka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A micro-relay device is provided including a fluid non-conductor. A first substrate and a second substrate are bonded together. A channel is defined in at least one of the substrates, and has a liquid metal in the channel. Electrodes are spaced along the channel and selectively interconnectable by the liquid metal. An open via is defined in one of the substrates and contains the fluid non-conductor. A heater substrate includes a suspended heater element in fluid communication with the open via. The suspended heater element is operable to cause the fluid non-conductor to separate the liquid metal.
Claims20
A micro-relay device, comprising:
- a fluid non-conductor;
- a first substrate and a second substrate bonded together;
- a channel defined in at least one of the substrates;
- liquid metal in the channel;
- electrodes spaced along the channel and selectively interconnectable by the liquid metal;
- an open via defined in one of the substrates and containing the fluid non-conductor;
- and
- a heater substrate comprising a suspended heater element in fluid communication with the open via, the suspended heater element operable to cause the fluid non-conductor to separate the liquid metal.
A micro-relay device, comprising:
- a non-conductor gas;
- a first substrate and a second substrate bonded together;
- a channel defined in at least one of the substrates;
- liquid mercury in the channel;
- first, second, and third electrodes spaced along the channel and connectible by the liquid mercury;
- first and second open vias defined in at least one of the substrates in fluid communication with the channel, the open vias containing the non-conductor gas;
- and
- first and second heater substrates each comprising a respective suspended heater element, the first and second heater substrates in fluid communication with the first and second open vias, respectively, and operable to selectively cause the non-conductor gas to separate the liquid mercury between the first and second electrodes and the second and third electrodes, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.