特集2 日仏マイクロメカトロニクス国際共同研究組織(LIMMS

SENEZ Vincent

TOSHIYOSHI Hiroshi

UTokyo Repository

特集に際して : Co-directors' remark on LIMMS
special issue
journal or
publication title
生産研究
volume 56
number 1
page range 85-87
year 2004
URL http://hdl.handle.net/2261/00078627
doi: info:doi/10.11188/seisankenkyu.56.85
56巻1号  (2004)
特 集 に際 して
Guest Editor
l .  What is LIMMS?
The Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems
(LIMMS) is an international joint research group on micro-
mechatronics. Micromechatronics is one of the emerging
research fields, which is usually referred to as micro/nano-electro-
mechanical systems (MEMS or NEMS in short). In Europe it is
also called MST or micro system technology. MEMS deals with
very small integrated systems that include "mechanically func-
tional" devices, and LIMMS versions of MEMS are such as micro
tools for bio- and molecular engineering, small tools for new
methodology, new devices for fiber optic network. We also cover
new technology for micro/nano fabrication processes and inte-
grated electrortics in the nanometric scale.In this special issue of
LIMMS, readers will find some of our recent research topics of
MEMS and NEMS in the following articles.
2. History and structure
LIMMS was established in January 1995 in between IIS and the
SEISAN―KENKYU
SPI (Science pour I'Ing6nieur), the department of Science for
Engineering with France Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique (CNRS), and has been supervised by department of
Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies (or
STIC) since 2000. LIMMS stalted in the old IIS in Roppongi, and
today it is located in the new Komaba-Il campus of the
University of Tokyo. LIMMS has so far welcomed more than flfty
French scientists including post-doctoral students supported by the
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellowship pro-
gram and CNRS permanent researchers by their own funding for
two years usually. Taking a snapshot of LIMMS members, one
would see ten French researchers on average at a time, which
means some ten research projects are developed at a time.
Figure 1 shows the structure of LIMMS researcher exchange
program between the French counterparts. LIMMS and its mem-
bers are physically located in the IIS but with some external
cooperative professors of the University of Tokyo. There is
another structural shell called CIRMM, Center for International
Research on Micro Mechatronics. which is a hub structure for the
Co-Directors' Remark on LIMMS Special Issue
Hiroshi TOSHIYOSHI*and Vincent SENEZ*
Figure 1. LIMMS/CNRS-IIS Structure with host professors
LIMLIIS/CNRS―ⅡS Co‐Directors
56巻1号 (2004)
international collaboration on MEMS/I{EMS at IIS. CIRMM
holds several international links to, for instance, Korea,
Germany, Switzerland, Finland, and the Netherlands; and
LIMMS is the most contributing part of CIRMM to France. On the
French side, LIMMS was started by the three founding institutions
of CNRS, namely IMFC (Institut des MiCrotechniques de
Franche-Comte) in Besancon, IEMN (Institut d'Electronique de
Microdlectronique et de Nanotechnologie) in tille, and LAAS
(Laboratoire d'Analyse et d'Architecture des Systbmes) in
Toulouse. Today we have more than ten partner institutions dis-
tributed in France.
3. Interface between different countries and disciplines
The purpose of our research activity at LIMMS is to combine
expertise of both Japanese and French researchers and to explore
new frontiers of MEMS and NEMS for various fields, namely,
integrated micro/nano-mechatronics, micro robotics, nano
metrology, micro/nano photonics, bio-engineering, molecular
engineering, and integrated circuits by the aids of several host lab-
oratories in the campus of IIS. Our research co-workers from
France come mainly from the research institutes of CNRS. They
are either post-doctoral fellows (of JSPS) or CNRS permanent
researchers. They do not necessarily have to be working in
MEMS or NEMS beforehand but they come with various back-
grounds and enthusiasm for their new research career. Once they
arrive in Japan to find a position in the framework of LIMMS, they
will be working with Japanese partners of MEMS or NEMS, and
SEISAN.KENKYU
they start their own projects. Starting a new project in foreign
country is really challenging for the visitors. Usually we affange
for them Japanese paftners of the same or nearest research topics
to support technical aspect of their projects such as MEMS
processes. Japanese partners are sometimes faculty members of trS
(or in other campus), their experienced research staff and/or their
students. LIMMS provides an interface between the Japanese and
French researchers of MEMS and NEMS to extend their
research interest in a cooperative manner with valuable guidance
of their host professors.
The host faculty members and their research topics are listed in
Table I; we are proud of being able to work with these worldlead-
ing advisors in the fields. Under their wide range of expertise,
LIMMS researchers are working in different topics; and it makes
it difficult to pick up one to represent all. ffrequested, however, we
would present recent works on bio-MEMS that use in-vitro living
molecules of muscle (in nanometer range) as a mechanical actua-
tor for delivering force to something pretty much larger (still in a
micron range, though). Table II shows year 2003 version of
LIMMS French members and their research topics. Reader will
notice again that our research projects are steered towards more in
nanotechnology and biotechnology related topics.
4. Transition of LIMMS function
For the very first couple of years of LIMMS, it mainly worked
to transfer the new technologies of MEMS from the research
groups at IIS to CNRS institutions. At that time of MEMS devel-
Thble I. Host professors in LIMMS and their expertise
Host Professor Research Topic
YasuhikoArakawa
Dominiqrie Collard
Teruo Fujii
Hiroyuki Fujita
Toshiro Hiramoto
Hideki Kawakatsu
BeomjoonKim
Takahisa Masuzawa
Yoshio Mita
Hiroyuki Noji
Takao Someya
Shoji Takeuchi
Hiroshi Toshiyoshi
Quantum Nanostructure Devices
Applied (Information-Communication) Microsystems
Integrated Microfluidic Systems
Micro / Nano Electro Mechanical Systems
Integrated Device Engineering
Advanced Scanning Probe Microscopes
Microcomponents and Systems (Self Assembly)
Micromachining and Measurement
MEMS Integrated VLSI Systems
Biomolecular Mechanics
Organic Semiconductor MicroA.trano Devices
Bio Microsystems
Micro Opto Mechanical Systems
(alphabetical order)
56異甕11計 (2004) SEISAN―KENKYU
Table II. Year 2003 version ofFrench rcscarchersin LIMルIS and tlleir research topics
CNRS Researchers
Gonzalo Cabodevila
Yves-Andre Chapuis
Philippe Coquet
Jean-Bernard Pourciel
Vincent Senez
Microrobotics for bioengineering
Distributed micro control systems
Millimeter wave microsystem for biomedical applications
Micromethodology? Micrometrology? using MEMS tools
Microfluidic systems for bioengieering
JSPS Post¨d c oral fcllows
Serge Camou
Nicolas Tiercelin
Guillaume Tresset
Julien Brault
Yannick Rondelez
Serge Oshovidov
Alexis Debray
Laurent Jalabert
Eric Leclerc
VincentAgache
MEMS On-chip fluorescence spectroscopes
Magnetostrictive MEMS optical scanners
Microfluidic devices for electrofusion of biological membranes
Nanoscale semiconductor devices
Biomolecular MEMS
Microfluidic MEMS for bioengineering
Optical MEMS for automobile application
Micro methodology by MEMS tools
Microfluidic channel devices
RF-MEMS devices
opment, both of us were aware of the enabling power of MEMS
technology and seeking for its potential applications where it is
practiced. We worked together in developing new MEMS fabri-
cation processes and new principle of microactuators, for
instance. French researchers, who were relatively new to
MEMS,learned fundamental skills including utilities for MEMS
and returned to their home institutions in France. Most of them
continued their research career in MEMS, and had delivered valu-
able technical and administrative contribution to their country by
being a missionary of MEMS.In the following years, we discov-
ered a new phase of collaboration by hosting their younger
generation post-doctoral co-workers and pursued our common
research goals in the real collaborAtive manner. Research groups
on MEMS in France were tied with Japanese partners in IIS to
extend and expand new frontier of MEMS. One good example out
of the LIMMS collaboration pulled out another case; and the num-
ber of researchers ever hosted in LIMMS counts up to fifty or
more. Today, we are no more in the teacher-student relationship
but are independent research partners respecting and learning each
other. As a sign of fruitful collaboration of LIMMS, we present the
fact that we have been continuously publishing nearly fifty peer-
reviewed journal and conference papers every year since 1999.
5. LIMMS has come to a new phase
Having spent eight years, LIMMS has been almost established
in administrative aspect such as protocols in calling for post-doc-
toral fellows and CNRS researchers, organizing annual scientific
committee for evaluation, and renewing research contract
between trIS and CNRS as well as technical accomplishments.
LIMMS has been highly acknowledged in CNRS, and they help
very much to promote scientific and administrative activities of
LIMMS; infact,CNRs has recently provided an official position
of adminiStrative management officer in LIMMS at IIS. We are
often referred to as the most successful international collaboration
between France and Japan.In fact, what we are targeting today is
the most successful international collaboration of the world.
Both Japanese and French sides are currently putting more effort
and commitment to promote LIMMS to be more distinguishable.
Acknowledgements
LIMMS would like to thank the Japan Society for Promotion of
Science (JSPS) for their fellowship program supporting our post-
doctoral researchers. LIMMS also would like to thank STIC of
CNRS and MEXT of Japan for their research funding to
LIMMS.


特集に際して : Co-directors\u27 remark on LIMMS special issue

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特集に際して : Co-directors\u27 remark on LIMMS special issue

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