Micromechanical relay with electrostatic actuation and metallic contacts

In this paper, an improved design of an electrostatic polysilicon microrelay with metallic contacts is presented. The polysilicon layer is used for the actuator while the nickel and gold layers are used for the contacts. Improved contact resistance is demonstrated, as well as the efficiency of multiple contact bars. Moreover, by integrating nickel bars, electromagnetic actuation was successfully performed