Omron introduces the first truly "hot switchable" (the ability to open or close on a live circuit) micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) relay that was 10 years in the making.

Omron's 2SMES RF MEMS relay is comprised of two, SPST-NO silicon chips, packaged together for SPDT or DPST-NO operation in a compact enclosure measuring only 5.2 x 3.0 x 1.8mm. Driven by an electrostatic drive system, it is rated for 100 million operations at 0.5 mA at 0.5VDC resistive load, has been tested over 1 billion cycles, and features extremely low (10µW max) power consumption.

Note: This product has a 100V Human Body Model (HBM) ESD Rating. For more information on handling this product, view the Omron anti-static measurement guide.

Problem and Solution
Contact sticking during “hot switching” was the major design issue that needed to be resolved. Contact geometry and a proprietary metallurgical alloy were the keys to success. The movable contact assembly made of this proprietary material is sandwiched between two layers of glass. The bottom layer of glass has the traces for the stationary contacts and the electrostatic drive that pulls in the moveable contact. The top layer of glass caps off the die then two of these die are wire bonded and package together to form the finished product.

Applications
Developed to meet the needs of the automated test equipment (ATE) market for chips and equipment, the Omron RF MEMS Relay Switch has exceptional high frequency characteristics at 10GHz and 50 Ω are isolation of 30 dB, insertion loss of 1 dB, and return loss of 10 dB. It has a maximum carry of 30 dBm and peak carry of 36 dBm at 2 GHz. This, along with its small size and 10μW of power consumption, target it to replace some of the reed relays, Gas FETs, and pin diode switches used in ATE equipment.