Patent ID: 8563885

Claim:
A nano electromechanical device comprising: a base; a first cantilevered beam comprising a fixed end supported by the base and comprising a free end, the first cantilevered beam comprising an electrically conductive material; a second cantilevered beam comprising a fixed end supported by the base and comprising a free end, the second cantilevered beam comprising an electrically conductive material, wherein the second cantilevered beam extends substantially parallel to the first cantilevered beam and is separated from the first cantilevered beam by a gap of less than 10 nanometers, wherein an applied voltage differential of between about 0.5 volt and about 2 volts applied to the first cantilevered beam relative to the second cantilevered beam produces electrostatic attraction between the first and second cantilevered beams to cause the first and second cantilevered beams to bend displacing of their respective free ends so that the first and second cantilevered beams physically contact each other.