Micro electromechanical systems thermal switch

Abstract

A Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) thermal switch. The switch includes a FET having a source and drain in a substrate and a beam isolated from the substrate, wherein the beam is a monolithic beam. The beam is positioned over the source and the drain and spaced by a predefined gap. When the thermal set point is reached, the beam moves to electrically connect the source to the drain.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation in part of a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 371,572, filed Feb. 21, 2003, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Conventional thermal switches use bi or trimetallic disks for performing the switching process. These thermal switches include a metal-to-metal contact that results in microwelding, arching, and oxidization that can cause the switch to prematurely fail. Also, these thermal switches cannot be reduced below a certain size limit and thus, have limited applicability. Further, these thermal switches include a number of parts that require costly manual construction. The set point of these thermal switches is determined by the material and geometry of the thermal disk used and cannot be adjusted after construction. Therefore, these thermal switch set points cannot be adjusted once the switch is fabricated. [0003] There...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

These thermal switches include a metal-to-metal contact that results in microwelding, arching, and oxidization that can cause the switch to prematurely fail.

Also, these thermal switches cannot be reduced below a certain size limit and thus, have limited applicability.

Further, these thermal switches include a number of parts that require costly manual construction.

Therefore, these thermal switch set points cannot be adjusted once the switch is fabricated.

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