Bi-stable MEMS for Non-Volatile Information Storage and Opto-Mechanical Computing in Harsh Environments

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This project will investigate micro-mechanical bi-stable systems for use in nonvolatile data storage and optomechanical computing, in harsh environments where conventional microelectronics face severe limitations. Such environments include high or low temperatures, and radiation as encountered above the earth's atmosphere (space exploration and satellite communication), in nuclear reactors or in other environments involving intense radiation. The proposed project will employ an approach based on our recent theoretical and experimental investigation on a MEMS bi-stable system that consists of a micro mechanical column compressed by an axial force so that it buckles in one of two possible states (0 or 1). The state of the column will be changed by the pressure of a moderate intensity laser beam, thus potentially enabling opto-mechanical computers and digital data storage. Being a mechanical system, it is inherently robust. Our long term vision is to develop micro-mechanical computational elements driven by a fixed light source such as CW laser or focussed sunlight. Such a continuous light source can be used to completely power a finite state computational machine using the elements proposed herein. This project will address four fundamental queries: (1) The mechanism by which an optical beam switches the state of the bi-stable system, such as light pressure or photo-induced stress. (2) The material of choice for computational elements that will sustain harsh environments, e.g., thermally grown Silicon dioxide on a silicon column. (3) The limit of miniaturization or the limit of the minimum force by which the state can be changed due to thermal noise. (4) Radiation damage: The effect of high energy particles encountered in space, and high electromagnetic fields on thestability of the bi-stable system, and the radiation damage of the material(s) will be studied at nanosecond intervals with nanometer resolution. We also propose to design and construct the basic memory (bi-stable multivibrator) and logic elements,(AND, OR, NOT) using variations of the MEMS bi-stable system. The above study will be a first step in applying micro mechanical systems for computational and data storage purposes in very harsh environments.