Piezoelectric multiplexer

摘要

A piezoelectric multiplexer includes an actuator and multiple bimorph beams. The actuator includes an actuator conducting head and an actuator stem, and each bimorph beam includes a conducting beam contact head and a beam stem manufactured out of bimorph material. A control voltage is selectively applied to electrical contacts coupled to the beam stems to create a piezoelectric effect that bends the selected bimorph beam and creates an electrical connection between its contact head and the conducting head of the actuator. A control circuit with a controller signals which bimorph beam to connect to the actuator. This multi-bimorph-beam piezoelectric multiplexer can be affixed to the electrical terminals of different electrical components (e.g., a transistor) to create an electrical cell that can be manufactured on a semiconductor chip or in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device.

主权项

1. A switching element, comprising:
an actuator with an actuator conducting head and an actuator stem; a plurality of bimorph beams positioned in parallel to the actuator stem, each bimorph beam comprising a beam contact head made of a conductive material and a beam stem made of a bimorph material; and a plurality of electrical contacts coupled to the beam stems and the actuator stem for receiving a selectively applied control voltage applied across a first bimorph stem and the actuator stem and causing a selected bimorph beam to physically move toward the actuator and create an electrical connection between the conducting head and the beam contact head of the selected bimorph beam.