UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, UTAH, USA. MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) are radiation-resistant circuits that are impervious to to conditions like high-radiation environments. Incorporating MEMS in computers or robots can provide great assistance in situations where it is impossible for typical silicon microchips to endure extreme radiation. MEMS could possibly deal with extreme cases in damaged nuclear plants, nuclear attacks and extreme bursts of space radiation.

Typically, electronic devices require a semiconductor channel to carry current. In cases wherein radiation strikes a microchip, it produces a second current that interferes with the normal function creating total chaos in the transmission of signal. Lead is another radiation-resistant material but it cannot endure long hours of extreme conditions even if robots are remotely controlled to contain a certain nuclear meltdown.

The University of Utah’s MEMS do not have the issues of standard radiation-resistant materials. The device is made up of two Tungsten electrodes that are separated by a narrow gap. The electrodes attract and touch each other when charged. This allows the current to flow.

Every MEMS devices serves as a logic gate. In this case, it reduces the number of components needed by a factor of 10 and at the same time increasing the reliability and speed. The narrow gaps between the bridges in the logic gates would need a voltage of 1.5V. This is like a tenth of the normal requirement of a device of this kind. The logic gate is only half-micron thick and measures about 25-by-25 microns.