Index
• INTRODUCTION
• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• FABRICATION METHODS
• APPLICATIONS
• Current Challenges
• references
• INTRODUCTION
Imagine a machine so small that it is imperceptible to the human eye. Imagine working machines with gears no bigger than a grain of pollen. Imagine these machines being batch fabricated tens of thousands at a time, at a cost of only a few pennies each. A place where gravity and inertia are no longer important, but the effects of atomic forces and surface science dominate .Welcome to the MICRO DOMAIN, a world now occupied by an explosive new technology known as MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems).
MEMS is the next logical step in the silicon revolution. The silicon revolution began over three decades ago, with the introduction of the first integrated circuit. The integrated circuit has changed virtually every aspect of our lives. We believe the hallmark of the next thirty years of the silicon revolution will be the incorporation of new types of functionality onto the integrated chip; structures that will enable the chip to not only think, but to sense, act and communicate as well. This revolution will be enabled by MEMS.
▪ WHAT IS MEMS ?
Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems are small-integrated devices or systems that combine electrical and mechanical components. They range in size from the sub micrometer level to the millimeter level, and there can be any number, from a few to millions, in a particular system.
MEMS extend the fabrication techniques developed for the integrated circuit industry to add mechanical elements such as beams, gears, diaphragms, and springs to devices.
MEMS are not about any one application or device, nor are they defined by a single fabrication process or limited to a few materials. They are a fabrication approach that conveys the advantages of miniaturization, multiple components, and microelectronics to the design and...