US Patent 7244367 - Platinum/Palladium MEMS

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7244367.html

Micromechanical structures have been fabricated from a variety of materials including silicon, polysilicon, metals, and polymers. However, for a variety of applications these materials may not have sufficient electrical conductivity and mechanical durability. This patent teaches a metal alloy with some improved mechanical characteristics for micromechanical structures. Claim 1 reads:

1. A microelectromechanical device, comprising: at least one freestanding flexible member that bends, flexes, twists, or is deformed during operation of the microelectromechanical device and is formed from an alloy consisting essentially of about 40 to 80 wt% platinum and about 20 to 60 wt% palladium, said member exhibiting at least one performance characteristic at least 50% greater than either noble metal alone, said performance characteristic selected from the group consisting of yield strength, tensile strength and hardness.