Patent ID: 8063455

Claim:
An electromechanical switching device, comprising: a flexible nanoscopic element suspended on a supporting base structure, the flexible nanoscopic element capable of flexing between first and second positions in an open space over the supporting base structure; a first conductive terminal located at the first position in the space and overlying the supporting base structure, a top surface of the first conductive terminal and a bottom surface of the flexible nanoscopic element being separated by a gap when the flexible nanoscopic element is in the first position, the first conductive terminal disposed at a location that is underneath and proximate a midpoint of the flexible nanoscopic element; two second conductive terminals, the first conductive terminal disposed between and electrically isolated from the two second conductive terminals, the two second conductive terminals overlying the supporting base structure and located in the space out of range of the flexible nanoscopic element at a distance such that an applied electric field between the flexible nanoscopic element and the two second conductive terminals inducing the flexible nanoscopic element to be in direct contact with the top surface of the first conductive terminal thereby placing the flexible nanoscopic element in the second position; and a third conductive terminal vertically separated from the flexible nanoscopic element such that an applied electric field between the flexible nanoscopic element and the third conductive terminal inducing the flexible nanoscopic element to move to the first position.