Molded electromechanical shift register memories

Synchronous, nonvolatile, shift register memories storing >1000 data bits can be constructed of a series of bistable mechanical levers, interacting electrostatically and actuated by a single electrode. An entire memory can be formed by a single molding step. A working laboratory-scale model has been constructed, and two submicron designs have been modeled. In one design using conducting levers, momentum briefly carries information. In another design using charged levers, information is passed between primary and secondary portions of a memory cell. Input and output, error propagation, fabrication tolerance, and memory integration are discussed. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.