Menlo Micro Unveils Advanced MEMS Power Relays: Compact, Swift, and Intelligent

At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held on March 6, 2018, a notable advancement in power relay technology was introduced by Menlo Micro. The company showcased its innovative 200V/10A digital micro-switch (DMS) intelligent power relay, marking a significant step forward for its digital MEMS switch platform.

This new DMS technology is set to revolutionize various market sectors, addressing the challenges faced by companies that have relied on traditional solid-state relays. These older systems often suffer from issues such as high leakage currents, absence of air gaps, and complex heat dissipation requirements. Alternatively, businesses have had to rely on slower, bulkier, and more expensive electromechanical relays.

Chris Giovanniello, the vice president of product development at Menlo Micro, emphasized that their DMS technology allows for the creation of ultra-compact and lightweight power relays that merge the advantages of solid-state and mechanical systems. He noted that the industry is increasingly demanding solutions that minimize size, weight, power consumption, and cost, and this new technology meets those needs while paving the way for innovative control products in the industrial IoT sector.

To illustrate the scalability of this technology, Menlo Micro demonstrated its capabilities by integrating over 200 MEMS high-voltage switches on a Smart Power Relay Evaluation Board. This compact evaluation board, roughly the size of a credit card, can handle a DC current of 10A without necessitating heat dissipation. The unprecedented current handling capacity of this MEMS switch technology is attributed to Menlo Micro's unique materials, design methodologies, and wafer-level processing techniques.

Menlo Micro's high-power, high-reliability RF switches are already being utilized in various applications, including medical devices, test and measurement instruments, and reconfigurable software radios. These switches typically operate within a power range of 25W to 50W. For the intelligent power relays, the company has engineered a fully isolated four-terminal architecture that includes advanced features such as overcurrent protection. The benefits of this DMS power relay architecture are numerous:

• Significant Reduction in Size and Weight: The technology achieves an 80% reduction in volume and weight. The interconnections are thinner than human hair, resulting in minimal on-state loss (< 10mohm) and eliminating the need for bulky heat dissipation systems. This innovation offers new design possibilities for power electronics engineers.

• Rapid Switching Capabilities: The switching speed of these relays is up to 1000 times faster than that of traditional electromechanical relays.

• Intelligent Features: DMS power relays maintain the electrical isolation properties of conventional mechanical relays while integrating into semiconductor packages. This integration allows system designers to implement additional intelligent and efficient features.

• Cost-Effective Semiconductor Structure: Utilizing wafer-level manufacturing technology, Menlo Micro's DMS products can leverage the scalability and cost efficiencies typical of semiconductor manufacturing.

• Versatile Applications: Menlo Micro's DMS Smart Power Relays are well-suited for a wide range of applications, including home and building automation, industrial automation, robotics, electric vehicles, battery management, and various electronic devices.

At the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Industrial Applications Conference, IEEE Fellow Dr. Liu Yanfei collaborated with Menlo Micro to present a paper titled "High-Voltage MEMS Relay Design for Zero-Voltage Power and Signal Conversion Breaking," which detailed the structure and functionality of this new smart power relay.

Currently, Menlo Micro's DMS power relay technology is undergoing usability evaluations with key industrial partners, further signaling its potential impact in the field of power management and control systems.