Effects of surface forces and phonon dissipation in a three-terminal nano relay

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical study of a carbon nanotube three-terminal nanorelay, highlighting how surface forces and phonon dissipation influence its operation, switching speed, and potential as a memory device.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of surface forces and phonon dissipation effects on nanorelay performance and design constraints, advancing understanding of nanoscale device dynamics.

Findings

Surface forces significantly affect relay characteristics.

Phonon dissipation reduces switching time scales.

Nanorelay can function effectively as a memory element.

Abstract

We have performed a theoretical analysis of the operational characteristics of a carbon-nanotube-based three-terminal nanorelay. We show that short range and van der Waals forces have a significant impact on the characteristics of the relay and introduce design constraints. We also investigate the effects of dissipation due to phonon excitation in the drain contact, which changes the switching time scales of the system, decreasing the longest time scale by two orders of magnitude. We show that the nanorelay can be used as a memory element and investigate the dynamics and properties of such a device.