Patent ID: 7002441

Claim:
A method of fabricating a micro-electro-mechanical switch, comprising the steps of: forming on a base a first section which includes an electrically conductive part; forming a resiliently flexible membrane having first and second ends engaging spaced portions of said base disposed on opposite sides of said first section, and having between said ends a second section which includes an electrically conductive portion, said membrane being capable of resiliently flexing so as to move between first and second positions so that said conductive part and said conductive portion are physically closer in said second position than in said first position; forming on one of said first and second sections a textured surface and on the other thereof a further surface which faces said textured surface, said textured surface having mutually exclusive first and second portions which are respectively in physical contact with and free of physical contact with said further surface when said membrane is in said second position, said first portion of said textured surface having an area which is substantially less than a total area of said textured surface; and configuring one of said first and second sections to include a dielectric material having thereon one of said textured and further surfaces, said one of said textured and further surfaces being formed of the dielectric material, the other of said textured and further surfaces being provided on one of said conductive part and said conductive portion.