a, The 2005 edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) compared the performance of CMOS and seven emerging technologies in terms of cost, switching time and size (all on log scales). The energy per operation (J per op.) is represented by color. Nanoelectromechanical switches compete well in terms of energy per operation, but suffer from relatively long switching times. However, it is important to note that NEM and many other emerging technologies are being developed to complement rather than replace CMOS. RSFQ: rapid single flux quantum.
b, The 2009 edition of the ITRS compared NEM devices with several types of MOSFETs (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors) in terms of eight parameters including performance and energy efficiency. Relative performance improves with distance along the radial axis. Although NEM switches compete well in terms of energy efficiency, CMOS compatibility and operational temperature, their reliability and scalability need to be improved.
c, The pros and cons of NEM-switch-based memory as identified in the report from the 2010 ITRS Future Memory Devices Workshop.