Microelectromechanical systems

The microfabrication techniques used to develop high-performance closed-loop-controlled microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are discussed. A generalized MEMS could consist of mechanical components, sensors, actuators, and electronics, all integrated in the same environment. Bulk and surface micromachining, substrate bonding, and electroforming in conjunction with X-ray lithography, all integral components of silicon micromachining, are described. The development of a materials base for MEMS and a variety of physical phenomena for microactuator applications that have recently been demonstrated are reviewed. The applications and future trends of MEMS technologies are discussed     

应用于流动控制的MEMS传感器和执行器

出现于20世纪80年代后期的微机械技术可以制作出微米尺度的传感器和执行器。这些微器件与信号调节和处理电路集成后,组成了可执行分布式实时控制的微电子机械系统(MEMS)。这种性能为流动控制研究开辟了一个崭新的研究领域。利用MEMS技术设计和制作了一种传感器和一种执行器。实验证明,采用体硅腐蚀的工艺制作微流体器件是可行的,同时可以避免牺牲层腐蚀和释放的复杂工艺。     

Biomedical microsystems for minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment

Great significant progress has been made in the development of biomedical microdevices in recent years, and these devices are now playing an important role in diagnosis and therapy. This paper presents a review of applications of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices for in vivo diagnosis and therapy, and endoscopic- and catheter-based interventions. MEMS technology has enabled the further development of advanced biomedical microdevices for use in the human body by integration of sensors, actuators, and electronics into small medical devices for use in the body. In this paper, we discuss three categories of such devices: navigation systems, sensors and actuators for catheters and endoscopes, and other minimally invasive techniques. A brief introduction to principles, device structures, packaging, and related issues is presented.     

BioMEMS和人体植入式生物微系统

MEMS技术在医药科学技术的一个重要应用是植入人体内的生物微系统(BioMEMS)。该系统集微传感器、微驱动器、微流体系统、微光学系统及微机械元件于一体,用于体内器官的诊断、体内器官功能修复或替代,其治疗效果确切,已成为关系本世纪医学与人类健康进步的重要领域。本文介绍了近年来不同功能类别植入式BioMEMS的发展状况,说明了MEMS工艺、方法及材料在此领域的应用。     

Marvelous MEMS

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are a foundation for a broad range of mechanical, chemical, optical, and biotech products (sensors, microstructures and actuators) fabricated as integrated circuits on (primarily) silicon wafers in a batch mode. Commercial MEMS products include pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, gyros, ink-jet nozzles, read-write head positioners in hard drives, and digital light processors (DLPs) in projectors and television sets. The first four decades of MEMS development created a US$8 billion market. During the next decade, the MEMS market is estimated to increase by US$32 billion. Based on the presented overview of emerging MEMS sensors and microstructures, such a magnitude of growth is definitely possible.     

Development trends in the field of sensors

Sensors play a major role in automation, analysis and monitoring of processes. The use of planar technology (IC-technology or IC-compatible technologies) caused a break-through in the field as it allows the realization of small, highly reliable, and cost-efficient sensor devices. The field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has matured in the last decade and at the moment the further miniaturization into the nanoscale range attracts a lot of attention. In this contribution we give an overview on current trends in the field of sensors, where three different sensor fields are discussed in more detail: (bio)chemical sensors, automotive sensors and gas sensors.     

LTCC package for high temperature applications

There is a growing demand for sensors and electronics that can work in harsh environments and at high temperature. Applications include sensors and actuators for control in petroleum and geothermal industry, process monitoring and distributed control systems in the automotive and aerospace fields. Process development and packaging materials for electronic devices are closely connected to such packaging issues. In many cases the package is as important as the device itself in meeting the applications needs.Low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) and thick-film technologies have the potential to incorporate multilayer structures, enabling fabrication of specialized packaging systems. LTCC technology enables easy electrical or optical connections within and between layers in addition to enabling use of integrated passive components, heaters, sensors, converters etc.This paper presents attempts to develop a reliable packaging technology for silicon carbide (SiC) based hydrogen sensors operating at temperatures up to 300 °C. Some simulations of thermal properties were carried out and package structures were made and investigated. The package protects the sensor against mechanical damage and makes possible easy electrical connections. Moreover, the heater and temperature sensors allow for proper temperature regulation of the element. The manufacturing process, basic electrical parameters of the integrated heater as well as real temperature distribution are presented.     

Coupled package-device modeling for microelectromechanical systems

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), by their nature as sensors and actuators, require application specific packaging. The package is the near environment of the MEMS device and hence has a direct effect on its thermal behavior, mechanical effects, environmental compatibility and contamination. Therefore, understanding the influence of the packaging on MEMS device performance is critical to a successfully coupled package-device co-design. Here, an automated package-device interaction simulator has been developed. The simulator uses separate finite element method models for both the package and the device analysis and ties the simulations together through parametric behavioral package models. This technique allows the generation of package model libraries and supports the co-design of application specific packaging and MEMS devices. In the current implementation, thermomechanical package models have been implemented. Experimental verification of the technique is demonstrated by the comparison of simulation results to the measured package strain data. Although MEMS device-package interactions are not the only systems that could benefit from this method, they are a significant application area, focused on here.     

Automotive Safety Systems

he amount of software in general (and safety systems in particular) increases rapidly in the automotive industry. The trend is that functionality is decentralized, so new safety functions are distributed to common shared computer hardware, sensors, and actuators using central data buses. Signal processing is a hidden technology for enabling these functions by providing estimates of internal states, parameters, and situation awareness of the surroundings. Despite this fact, there is a small amount of research reported in the signal processing literature, and advanced solutions based on modern theory appear to be lacking in today?s car. This article overviews recent and future safety systems and highlights the big challenges for researchers in the signal processing area. One success story is provided as motivation, showing how signal processing researchers have contributed to a technology shift by replacing costly sensors with software algorithms that can be converted to huge economical savings for car owners all over the world.     

The Lucent LambdaRouter: MEMS technology of the future here today

MEMS devices are beginning to impact almost every area of science and technology. In fields as disparate as wireless communications, automotive design, entertainment, and lightwave systems MEMS is increasingly becoming a key technology. In this article we discuss MEMS devices in general, show how and where they will be used in lightwave systems, and then show in detail how they are allowing a billion dollar business to be born, that of large all-optical crossconnects. In particular we highlight one particular device, the Lucent LambdaRouter, and show how it is built from the chip on up and discuss its performance and applications     

BioMEMS——生物医学诊断和治疗的桥梁

生物微机电系统 (BioMEMS)集微传感器、微驱动器、微流体系统、微光学系统及微机械元件于一体 ,广泛应用于生物学、医学和生物医学工程等领域 ,是一个新的交叉研究学科。本文概述了BioMEMS的研究内容和发展方向 ,给出了部分BioMEMS研究结果     

MEMS磁场传感器的研究进展

磁场检测在工农业生产和人们日常生活中非常普遍。随着微电子机械（MEMS）的发展，用MEMS技术研制磁场传感器正获得越来越多的研究。基于MEMS磁场传感器的原理，对各类磁场传感器做了简要介绍，评述了各种MEMS磁场传感器的加工工艺及工作原理，并对MEMS磁场传感器的发展进行了展望。     

Highly Adaptive Transducer Interface Circuit for Multiparameter Microsystems

A reconfigurable transducer interface circuit that combines the communication and signal conditioning necessary to link a variety of sensors and actuators to a microsystem controller is reported. The adaptive readout circuitry supports high-resolution signal acquisition from capacitive, resistive, voltage and current mode sensors with programmable control of gain and offset to match sensor range and sensitivity. The chip accommodates sensor self test and self calibration and supports several power management schemes. It provides digital and analog outputs to control actuators and a standard interface to peripheral components. The 2.2times2.2 mm CMOS chip was fabricated in 0.5-mum, 3-metal, 2-poly process, dissipates ~50 muW at 3.3 V in a typical multisensor application utilizing periodic sleep mode, and can read out a wide range of sensors with high sensitivity. A prototype microsystem with a microcontroller and MEMS pressure, humidity, and temperature sensors has been implemented to characterize interface chip performance     

下世纪初微电子机械系统的发展

介绍了微电子机械系统的四种基本制作技术，即本体微机械加工、表面微机械加工、铸模工艺和晶片键合工艺。重点讨论了实现微系统突破的集成工艺技术。最后简单概述了传感器、执行器和微电子机械系统的发展现状     

纳米操作系统及其关键技术

纳米技术是21世纪的热点技术,它的基础技术———纳米操作技术是能够精确地改变、控制原子、分子及纳米尺度器件的技术。本文系统介绍了纳米操作系统的组成及其关键技术。给出了纳米操作系统的纳米操作器、传感器、驱动器等主要组成部分。指出了存在的问题和可能的解决方法。并给出了纳米操作系统可能的应用领域。     

MEMS微致动器的研究

MEMS技术在未来的发展中有着重要的意义。本文介绍了MEMS微致动器和各类驱动模式的优缺点,并以微泵为例,详细比较了致动器的执行机制和原理。     

Mixing it

By definition, automotive electronic systems are embedded mixed-signal systems because they feature multiple analogue sensors and analogue actuators under digital control. For years, traditional oscilloscopes have been the primary tool-of-choice among automotive electronic system design engineers to measure the quality of both analogue and digital signals. But traditional analogue and digital oscilloscopes have many limitations, including a lack of triggering functions for complex serial events and a limited number of input channels for acquisition. However, a new class of measurement tool called the mixed signal oscilloscope (MSO) has stepped into that breach, presenting its own debugging methodology     

微机电系统在电子信息领域的应用

借助于当代先进的大规模集成电路制造工艺,MEMS（微机电系统）技术将多种光、机、电功能器件集成于一体,真正实现了传统意义上的光机电一体化、微型化、数字化和智能化,在汽车工业、航空航天、消费电子等领域得到了越来越广泛的应用,实现了电子信息技术的新飞越。文中主要阐述MEMS在基础电子元器件、通信、汽车电子、消费电子等电子信息领域的发展应用。     

A Novel Wafer-Level Hermetic Packaging for MEMS Devices

Some emerging microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices such as high-performance inertial sensors and high-speed actuators must be operated in a high vacuum and in order to create this vacuum environment, specific packaging is required. To satisfy this demand, this paper presents a novel method for hermetic and near-vacuum packaging of MEMS devices. We use wafer-level bonding technology to combine with vacuum packaging, simultaneously. For this packaging solution, the wafers with air-guided micro-through-holes were placed on a custom-built design housed in a vacuum chamber maintained at a low-pressure environment of sub-10 mtorr. Packaging structure is then sealed by solder ball reflow process with the lower heating temperature of 300degC to fill up micro-through-hole. Experimental results shown the hermetical packaging technique using solder sealing is adapted to the wafer-level microfabrication process for MEMS devices and can achieve better yield and performance. Thus, this technique is very useful for many applications with high performance and low packaging cost can be obtained due to wafer-level processing.     

日本近年RF MEMS开关研究的进展

RFMEMS是射频表面微机械系统简称。射频表面微机械系统现在包括滤波器和微型电器元件,如开关,微可变电容和微可变电感。射频开关按驱动原理分有静电,压电,电磁以及热驱动。由于这一研究的高频化和高精度的特点,目前开关的研究集中在静电驱动的方式的研究上,从上市的产品来看,静电驱动是最有希望的RFMEMS的执行机构。静电执行器驱动的RFMEMS开关成为下一代高频通讯中的关键部件。