Patent ID: 6838959

Claim:
An electromagnetic relay, comprising: a relay housing containing a switching channel a solid slug adapted to move within the switching channel; a first contact located in the switching channel and having a surface wettable by a liquid; a second contact located in the switching channel and having a surface wettable by a liquid; a third contact located in the switching channel between the first and second contacts and having a surface wettable by a liquid; an electrically conducting liquid in wetted contact with the solid slug; a first electromagnetic actuator operable to move the solid slug to a first position where it is in wetted contact with the first and third contacts; and a second electromagnetic actuator operable to move the solid slug to a second position where it is in wetted contact with the second and third contacts, wherein the relay housing comprises: a circuit substrate layer on which the first, second and third contacts are formed; a cap layer; and a switching layer, positioned between the circuit layer and the cap layer, in which the switching channel is formed.