Patent ID: 8098120

Claim:
A micro-electromechanical device comprising a first electrode on a substrate, a second electrode, which second electrode is part of a movable element and movable towards and from the first electrode between a first and a second, at least substantially closed position by elastic deformation of a deformable section of the movable element, and which second electrode is separated from the first electrode by a gap in its first position, wherein the gap between the first and second electrode may be varied so that micro-electromechanical device is a capacitive switch with a limited number of states, wherein the movable element comprises a first independently movable section that is coupled to a movable main section of the movable element by a first resilient coupling and a second independently movable section that is independently movable with respect to the main section and that is coupled to a movable main section of the movable element by a second resilient coupling, such that the first and second resilient coupling exerts a force on the movable element in a direction away from the first electrode, when the second electrode is in its second position, wherein the resilient couplings have a larger spring constant than the deformable section.