Microelectromechanical systems

Integrated circuit technology has brought unprecedented computational power ever closer to the point of use, revolutionizing the design of electronics products and enabling the creation of entirely new product categories. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) promise to do the same for electromechanical systems through miniaturization, batch fabrication, and integration with electronics, thereby enabling the development of smart products by providing the required interface between the available computational power and the physical world through the perception and control capabilities of microsensors and microactuators. Micromechanical devices and systems are inherently smaller, lighter, and faster than their macroscopic counterparts, and in many cases are also more precise. MEMS devices are emerging as product differentiators in markets such as automotive, aerospace, industrial process control, electronics instrumentation, office equipment, appliances, and telecommunications. This paper will describe the more commonly employed fabrication techniques of MEMS technology and review several examples of MEMS devices under development at CWRU and elsewhere