A graphene NEMS switch to protect against electrostatic discharging

One of the most pervasive reliability problems facing the computer chip industry is ESD (electrostatic discharging) failure caused by the rapid, spontaneous transfer of electrostatic charge induced by a high electrostatic field. A novel above-IC graphene based nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) switch structure for on-chip ESD protection utilizes the unique properties of graphene. This switch is a two-terminal device with a vacuum gap between a conducting substrate at the bottom and a suspended graphene membrane on top serving as the discharging path.