Patent ID: 7169006

Claim:
A method for fabricating a diode device comprising: a housing means; a first electrode attached to one end of said housing means; a second electrode attached to an opposing end of said housing means; an electrical circuit connected to said electrodes; a further pair of electrodes attached to an inner and outer face of said housing means and attached to controlling circuitry whereby a length of said housing means may be modified by a signal applied to said further pair of electrodes; and wherein said housing means is able to adjust the magnitude of a distance separating said electrodes; comprising the steps: (a) contacting a first composite to one end of a tubular actuating element; (b) introducing an electrically conducting material to an inner surface of said composite; (c) contacting a second composite to the other end of the tubular actuating element, wherein said composite is a matching electrode pair precursor comprising a silicon wafer, a layer of titanium, a layer of silver and a layer of copper, such that an inner surface of said second composite is also in contact with the electrically conducting material; (d) sealing the contact between the first composite and the tubular element, and between the second composite and the tubular element; (e) separating the second composite along a boundary between two different layers and forming two matching electrodes.