Effects of surface forces and phonon dissipation in a three-terminal nanorelay

We have performed a theoretical analysis of the operational characteristics of a carbon-nanotube-based three-terminal nanorelay. We show that short range and van der Waals forces have a significant impact on the characteristics of the relay and introduce design constraints. We also investigate the effects of dissipation due to phonon excitation in the drain contact, which changes the switching time scales of the system, decreasing the longest time scale by 2 orders of magnitude. We show that the nanorelay can be used as a memory element and investigate the dynamics and properties of such a device. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.