Micro Electromechanical Systems is now being considered for major development of mechanical gears and other miniature structures that can only be measured on the micro millimeter scale.
Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through micro-fabrication technology. While the electronics are fabricated using integrated circuit (IC) process sequences (e.g., CMOS, Bipolar, or BICMOS), the micromechanical components are fabricated using compatible "micromachining", that selectively etch away parts of the silicon wafer or add new structural layers to form the mechanical and electromechanical devices.
MEMS basically is a device that contains micro-circuitry on a tiny silicon chip, which some mechanical devices such as a mirror or a sensor has been manufactured. Potentially, such chips can be built in large quantities at low cost, making them cost-effective for many uses. Among the presently available uses of MEMS under study are:
- Global position system sensors that can be included with courier parcels for constant tracking and can also sense parcel treatment en route.
- Sensors built into the fabric of an airplane wing can sense and react to air flow by changing the wing surface resistance; effectively creating a myriad of tiny wing flaps.
- Optical switching devices can switch light signals over different paths at 20-nanosecond switching speeds.
- Sensor-driven heating and cooling systems that dramatically improve energy savings
- Building supports with embedded sensors that can alter the flexibility properties of a material based on atmospheric stress sensing.
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The approach for this project is to do a literature review on Micro Electromechanical Systems for various mechanical structures. Several papers and books were chosen based on relevant, content. Several parts that measure on the micro millimeter scale will be scanned. The first test part is a microchip.
The microchip will be scanned using a confocal microscope. Various angles will be taken to obtain several layers of information about the chip.
Figure 1a
through 1d illustrates a view of the upper left side of the microchip scanned
at selected layers. These images are from the first scan of the
microchip. In these images, 38 different slices were taken, four are
illustrated. The bright spots of each image represent the most
reflective part of the microchip.
Figure 1a Figure 1b
Figure 1c Figure 1d
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In figure 2a through 2d, the lower left side of the microchip is scanned. These images are from the second trial of scanning the microchip. The purpose of different scans are to get different variations of the object depending on the beginning and ending points selected. In this scan, 21 slices were done, four are illustrated.
Figure 2a Figure 2b
Figure 2c Figure 2d
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In figure 3a through 3d the right upper side of the scans are shown. In this scan, 32 different slices were taken, four are illustrated. These images are a result of a third experimental trial run. The images did not appear as well as expected.
Figure 3a Figure 3b
Figure 3c Figure 3d
No publications currently available for this project.
This research is being conducted at the IRIS Lab by Sherry Ali under the supervision of Dr. Mongi A. Abidi.