Microtechnology

– Development:
– Scientists discovered microelectronic circuits in 1970, leading to the Information Revolution.
– Mechanical devices can now be miniaturized and batch-fabricated, similar to integrated circuit technology.
– Micromechanical devices are crucial in products like automobile airbags and ink-jet printers.
– Micromechanical devices are becoming more precise, with advanced circuits reaching below 20nm.
– Micro-mechanical devices provide sensors and actuators for advanced systems.

– Micro electromechanical systems:
– MEMS refer to sophisticated mechanical systems on a chip like micro electric motors and gears.
– MEMS can be any microscopic device with a mechanical function fabricated in a batch process.
– MEMS processes include surface machining, bulk machining, LIGA, and EFAB.
– MEMS technology has a wide range of applications and is a multibillion-dollar market.
– MEMS sales were projected to reach $12B by 2005.

– Microtechnology construction:
– Microtechnology is often constructed using photolithography.
– Lightwaves are focused through a mask onto a surface to solidify a chemical film.
– The soft, unexposed parts of the film are washed away, and acid etches away unprotected material.
– Microtechnology has been used to construct integrated circuits and micromachinery.
– Nanotechnology emerged in the 1980s, producing materials and structures with 1-100nm dimensions.

– Notable publications:
– “Systems Engineering for Microscale and Nanoscale Technologies” by Darrin M. Ann Garrison and Janet L. Barth.
– “Exploring Advanced Manufacturing Technologies” by Stephen F. Krar and Arthur Gill.
– “Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Nanostructuring Techniques” by Michael Köhler and Wolfgang Fritzsche.
– “Physical Metallurgy and Advanced Materials, Seventh Edition” by R. E. Smallman and A. H. W. Ngan.

– External links:
– Wikimedia Commons has media related to Microtechnology.