Introducing The Small World: Developing The Mems/Nanotechnology Curriculum

© ASEE 2009MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) and nanotechnology are believed to be the exciting drive to trigger the next wave of technology revolution. MEMS refer to systems in micro scale (1 micron to 1 millimeter) that integrates mechanical components, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through micromachining technology. Due to its low cost, small size, light weight and high resolution, MEMS has been widely used in automobiles, medical health care, aerospace, consumer products and RF communications. Nanotechnology refers to a field of applied science and technology about materials and devices in the atomic and molecular scale, normally 1 to 100 nanometers. It can offer better built, longer lasting, cleanser, safer and smarter products for home, communications, medicine, transportation, agriculture and many other fields. MEMS and nanotechnology can be combined to create a new exciting field of NEMS (Nanoelectromechanical system). In order to introduce engineering students into this amazing micro and nanotechnology field, we developed three corresponding graduate-level courses: Introduction to MEMS (EE446) and Introduction to Nanotechnology (EE451), and Microelectronic Fabrication (EE448). In addition, we have other related courses to support this program, such as EE 447: Semiconductor, EE 404: CMOS VLSI, EE 410: Bio-sensors, etc. This paper will discuss the course structure, syllabuses, course modules, student feedbacks, as well as future plans for this program. This curriculum offer students comprehensive knowledge and experience in MEMS and nanotechnology. Students use various CAD tools such as ANSYS FEM to design and simulate various MEMS/NEMS devices in the course projects. Multimedia technology is also used during the classroom teaching. We played vivid photos/videos to show the operation of MEMS/NEMS devices and state-of-the-art micro/nano fabrication processes in industry. Students demonstrated tremendous interest in this micro/nanotechnology program. The enrollment to these courses has been overwhelming and we have to create extra sessions to accommodate students with strong interest in this program. Our graduated students are well prepared for the industry in micro/nanotechnology fields. This program can also be helpful for the effort of the Connecticut Nanotechnology Curriculum Committee

Modeling of an implantable device for remote arterial pressure measurement

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of illness and death in Europe, having a major impact on healthcare costs. An intelligent stent (e-stent), capable of obtaining and transmitting measurements of physiological parameters, can be a useful tool for real-time monitorization of arterial blockage without patient hospitalization. In this paper, a behavioral model of a pressure sensing-based e-stent is proposed and simulated under several restenosis conditions. Special attention has been given to the need of an accurate fault model, obtained from realistic finite-element simulations, to ensure long-term reliability; particularly for those faults whose behavior cannot be described by usual analytical models

Condition Assessment and Fault Prognostics of Microelectromechanical Systems.

International audienceMicroelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are used in different applications such as automotive, biomedical, aerospace and communication technologies. They create new functionalities and contribute to miniaturize the systems and reduce their costs. However, the reliability of MEMS is one of their major concerns. They suffer from different failure mechanisms which impact their performance, reduce their lifetime and their availability. It is then necessary to monitor their behavior and assess their health state to take appropriate decision such as control reconfiguration and maintenance. These tasks can be done by using Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) approaches. This paper addresses a condition assessment and fault prognostic method for MEMS. The paper starts with a short review about MEMS and presents some challenges identified and which need to be raised to implement PHM methods. The purpose is to highlight the intrinsic constraints of MEMS from PHM point of view. The proposed method is based on a global model combining both nominal behavior model and degradation model to assess the health state of MEMS and predict their remaining useful life. The method is applied on a microgripper, with different degradation models, to show its effectiveness

Coplanar Electrode Fluidic-Based Acoustic Sensing Method For Underwater Applications

Tesis ini mencadangkan kaedah penderiaan akustik berasaskan cecair untuk aplikasi bawah air. Mekanisme penderiaan yang dipilih adalah berdasarkan konsep kemuatan yang terhasil daripada elektrod koplanar. Struktur tersebut dicadangkan untuk mengatasi beberapa permasalahan yang timbul daripada peranti sediada iaitu Pemuat Mikromesin Transduser Ultrasonik. Isu kebolehbergantungan, disebabkan lengkungan membran yang berlebihan diatasi dengan menyuntik cecair di bawah lapisan membran bagi menambah nilai redaman ketika beroperasi di bawah tekanan luaran dan voltan yang tinggi. Penggunaan teknik litografi lembut untuk fabrikasi memberi kelebihan disebabkan proses yang lebih ringkas. Kaedah penderiaan ini dibuktikan melalui kitaran lengkap yang terdiri daripada proses pemodelan, fabrikasi dan pengujian. Dimensi struktur mematuhi kriteria yang ditetapkan seperti teori lengkungan membran dan teori penembusan kedalaman. Ujian akhir menunjukkan kebolehan peranti untuk mengesan isyarat akustik 200kHz yang dipancarkan melalui peranti bawah air dengan bacaan sensitiviti sebanyak 0.67pF/Pa. Kesan persekitaran seperti getaran pada frekuensi rendah (10Hz to 100Hz) dan perubahan suhu (-20 ̊C to 30 ̊C) juga didapati tidak memberi kesan terhadap operasi peranti. Ini menujukkan kestabilan peranti untuk berfungsi pada keadaan tertentu. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The thesis proposed a novel fluidic-based acoustic sensing method for underwater applications. The capacitive principles based on coplanar electrodes configuration is selected as the sensing mechanism. The new structure device was proposed to overcome several issues faced by the conventional device based on Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) by adapting the microfluidic technology. Reliability issues caused by the over deflected membrane was overcame by introducing the liquid backing material underneath the membrane which increases the damping at high operating voltage and high external pressure. The use of softlitography technique for fabrication also gave an advantage due to its process simplicity. The sensing concept was proven through a development cycle which consists of modelling, fabricating and testing. The structural design had satisfied several design rules such as membrane deflection theory as well as penetration depth theory. The final testing showed the ability of the device to detect 200kHz acoustic signal transmitted from the underwater acoustic projector with capacitive pressure sensitivity of 0.4 fF/Pa. It was also found that the constant frequency vibration (10Hz to 100Hz) and change of temperature (-20 ̊C to 30 ̊C) has minimal effect on the sensing performance, thus showcased the stability of the sensor

Component-Level Electronic-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) Synthetic Instrument Capabilities Assessment and Test Report

The role of synthetic instruments (SIs) for Component-Level Electronic-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) is to provide an external lower-level diagnostic and functional test capability beyond the built-in-test capabilities of spacecraft electronics. Built-in diagnostics can report faults and symptoms, but isolating the root cause and performing corrective action requires specialized instruments. Often a fault can be revealed by emulating the operation of external hardware. This implies complex hardware that is too massive to be accommodated in spacecraft. The SI strategy is aimed at minimizing complexity and mass by employing highly reconfigurable instruments that perform diagnostics and emulate external functions. In effect, SI can synthesize an instrument on demand. The SI architecture section of this document summarizes the result of a recent program diagnostic and test needs assessment based on the International Space Station. The SI architecture addresses operational issues such as minimizing crew time and crew skill level, and the SI data transactions between the crew and supporting ground engineering searching for the root cause and formulating corrective actions. SI technology is described within a teleoperations framework. The remaining sections describe a lab demonstration intended to show that a single SI circuit could synthesize an instrument in hardware and subsequently clear the hardware and synthesize a completely different instrument on demand. An analysis of the capabilities and limitations of commercially available SI hardware and programming tools is included. Future work in SI technology is also described

Experimental Investigations of Deformation Pathways in Nanowires

This work deals with the experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of nanowires. Experiments are conducted in a dedicated system inside the electron microscope. The mechanical response of various material systems is probed, the underlying deformation mechanisms are elucidated and subsequently put into context with mechanical size effects

Experimental Investigations of Deformation Pathways in Nanowires

This work deals with the experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of nanowires. Experiments are conducted in a dedicated system inside the electron microscope. The mechanical response of various material systems is probed, the underlying deformation mechanisms are elucidated and subsequently put into context with mechanical size effects

Custom Integrated Circuits

Contains table of contents for Part III, table of contents for Section 1 and reports on eleven research projects.IBM CorporationMIT School of EngineeringNational Science Foundation Grant MIP 94-23221Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Army Intelligence Center Contract DABT63-94-C-0053Mitsubishi CorporationNational Science Foundation Young Investigator Award Fellowship MIP 92-58376Joint Industry Program on Offshore Structure AnalysisAnalog DevicesDefense Advanced Research Projects AgencyCadence Design SystemsMAFET ConsortiumConsortium for Superconducting ElectronicsNational Defense Science and Engineering Graduate FellowshipDigital Equipment CorporationMIT Lincoln LaboratorySemiconductor Research CorporationMultiuniversity Research IntiativeNational Science Foundatio