Reconfigurable Submicron Electromechanical Switch with Volatile/Non‐Volatile Conversion for Radiation‐Hardened Electronics

Abstract Micro‐ and nanoelectromechanical (MEM/NEM) switches, capable of reliable operation in high‐radiation environments, hold great potential for applications in nuclear and space industries. However, a MEM/NEM computational system typically requires both volatile switches for logic computing and non‐volatile switches for memory. To date, a single MEM/NEM switch that can operate in both of these two function modes has not been demonstrated. Here, a reconfigurable submicron electromechanical switch is reported with on‐demand volatile/non‐volatile conversion, enabled by a well‐engineered nanowire (NW) cantilever. Under an applied magnetic field, the NW‐switch can be selectively operated in either volatile or non‐volatile mode by simply choosing a suitable ON‐state bias current, leveraging bidirectional Lorentz forces. Furthermore, the reset operation for the non‐volatile mode is achieved by applying a reverse driving current, which effectively modulates the balance among the vectorial Lorentz, mechanical restoring, and adhesive forces. For the first time, the radiation‐hard performance of this switch has been tested experimentally in 10 Mrad ⁶⁰ Co gamma irradiation, and demonstrates no performance degradation, far exceeding the radiation tolerance limit of silicon‐based transistors (1 Mrad). The NW‐based electromechanical switch provides possibilities for unified integration of logic and memory in radiation‐hardened electronics, enabling reduced data transfer time and lower power consumption.