Time-domain AC characterization of silicon carbide (SiC) nanoelectromechanical switches toward high-speed operations

We report an experimental study on AC measurements of contact-mode switches based on silicon carbide (SiC) nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). We describe the development of circuits and measurement techniques for recording long cycles of AC switching characteristics of SiC NEMS featured by ultrasmall device movable volumes (at ~1μm
³
level) and contact areas (only ~0.01-0.1μm
²
), and challenging contact resistances (can be from ~10KΩ to ~100MΩ). We perform time-domain AC characterization of SiC NEMS switches with operating speeds up to 1kHz and high on/off current ratios of ~10
⁶
. For multiple devices, we have recorded the complete time evolution of AC switching data traces of >10
⁶
cycles at 1kHz, without failure in ambient air. Beyond these long cycles the devices are still alive, which demands even higher-speed, accelerated AC measurements for long-lifetime recording.