Patent attributes
Apparatus for a micro-electro-mechanical switch that provides for latching switching action. The switch has a cantilever arm disposed on a substrate that can be moved in orthogonal directions for latching and unlatching. To latch the switch, the cantilever arm is moved back by a comb-drive actuator and then pulled down by electrodes disposed on the substrate and the cantilever arm. The comb-drive actuator switch is then released and the cantilever arm moves forward to be captured by a dove-tail structure on the substrate. When the voltage to the electrodes on the substrate and the cantilever arm is removed, the cantilever arm is held in place by the dove-tail structure. The switch is unlatched by actuating the comb-drive actuator to move the cantilever arm away from the dove-tail structure. The cantilever arm will then pop up once it is released from the dove-tail structure.
