ECE 3642, Microelectromechanical Systems
Fall 2001, M-W, 1:30-3:10
Nick McGruer

Office: 326 Dana
E-mail: mcgruer@ece.neu.edu
Phone: (617) 373-2066
FAX: (617) 373-8970
http://www.ece.neu.edu/edsnu/mcgruer/mcgruer.html/
Hours: Mon, 8:45-9:45, Th, 8:45-9:45, or by appointment, e-mail or phone.

Text: Microsystem Design, Senturia, Kluwer, 2001, ISBN 0-7923-7246-8.

Prerequisites: Graduate Standing in Engineering. Grading: Homework - 35%, Midterm 20%, Projects 45%

OVERVIEW: This course will give a broad introduction to MEMS technology, and will give students an opportunity to study the current literature and to design MEMS. The goal of the first part of the course is to cover a sufficient selection of the huge number of technologies used in MEMS such that the fabrication and operation of many MEMS devices will be understandable. This will also provide background for student design projects in the second half of the course. Design projects will run concurrently with discussion of MEMS case studies in class. Topics include microfabrication and process integration; modeling of electromechanical components; transduction technologies; selected coverage of elasticity, structures, dissipation, contact mechanics, friction, and fluids; selected coverage of electronics; noise; and case studies of microsystems.

Note: Microfabrication of MEMS devices will be covered in order to understand the major MEMS fabrication technologies and how they interact with system design strategies. Some aspects of process integration will be discussed. For more complete coverage of microfabrication see ECE 3626, IC Fabrication.

References on reserve in the library:

1. Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits, Third Edition, Gray and Meyer, Wiley, 1993, ISBN 0-471-57495-3. (This is a graduate-level electronics textbook.)

2. The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication, Second Edition, Campbell, Oxford, 2001, ISBN 0-19-513605-5. (General Microfabrication Reference.)

3. Fundamentals of Microfabrication, Madou, CRC Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8493-9451-1. (Microfabrication for MEMS + some information on materials and devices.)

4. Micromachined Transducers Sourcebook, Kovacs, McGraw-Hill, 1998, ISBN 0-07-290722-3. (General MEMS reference with an emphasis on a very large number of transduction methods.)

5. Microelectronic Circuits, Fourth Edition, Sedra and Smith, Oxford, 1998, ISBN 0-19-511663-1. (Undergraduate electronics text.)

Books:

• Nadim Maluf, An Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems Engineering, Artech House, 2000.
• M.H. Bao, Micro Mechanical Transducers, Volume 8, Handbook of Sensors and Actuators, Elsevier, 2000.
• Masood Tabib-Azar, Microactuators, Kluwer, 1998.
• Ljubisa Ristic, Editor, Sensor Technology and Devices, Artech House, 1994
• D. S. Ballantine, et. al., Acoustic Wave Sensors, Academic Press, 1997
• H. J. De Los Santos, Introduction to Microelectromechanical (MEM) Microwave Systems, Artech, 1999.
• James M.Gere and Stephen P. Timoshenko, Mechanics of Materials, 2nd Edition, Brooks/Cole Engineering Division, 1984.

Reprint collections:

• R. S. Muller, et. al., Editors, Microsensors, IEEE Press, 1991
• W. Trimmer, Editor, Micromechanics and MEMS, IEEE Press, 1997

Journals:

• J. Microelectromechanical Systems (IEEE/ASME)
• Sensors and Actuators (Elsevier)
• Sensors and Materials (MYU, Japan -- in English)
• J. Micromechanics and Microengineering (IOP)

Major conference proceedings:

• Transducers 'XX (International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators), odd-numbered years since 1983, proceedings available from IEEE (US Meetings), Elsevier (European Meetings), IEE Japan (Japanese Meetings).
• MEMS 'XX (IEEE Workshop on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), annual since 1989.
• Eurosensors 'XX, annual since 1987, proceedings published in special issues of Sensors and Actuators.
• Solid-State Sensors and Actuators Workshop, Hilton Head, SC, even-numbered years since 1984, proceedings available from Transducer Research Foundation.
• Japanese Sensor Symposium, annual since 1982; technical digest published in English by the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEE)

Web sites:

• ISI MEMS Archive: http://mems.isi.edu/mems (wide range of mems information including information on materials)
• SciCentral: http://www.scicentral.com/ -- links to many information sources.
• Optics and MEMS: http://mstd.nrl.navy.mil/6330/6336/moemsdownload.html -- A comprehensive report by S. J. Walker and D. J. Nagel.
• Microfabrication Laboratory at Northeastern University: http://www.ece.neu.edu/groups/mfl/
• Berkeley Sensors and Actuators Center: http://www-bsac.eecs.berkeley.edu/visitors.html
• DARPA/MTO: http://www.darpa.mil/MTO/ -- The Microsystems Technology Office at DARPA.
• Dave Banks' Introduction to MEMS: http://www.dbanks.demon.co.uk/ueng/
• ADI Microrelay/Isolator: http://www.analog.com/umic/
• TI Micromirror Device: http://www.dlp.com/dlp/default.asp
• Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/ (Properties of elements.)

Course Outline (This may change somewhat since this is a new course!)

Co-operation on coursework:

There is no restriction on cooperation, discussions, use of texts, library materials, or other sources while learning how to do any assignment. If a solution to a problem is found in the literature, students are expected to provide correct citations to that literature. For the individual homework assignments, every student is expected, at the end, to have worked through their own analysis or modeling work and to have written up their own work for submission. Under no circumstances is it permitted to present another student's work as one’s own. For term projects, a single report from each team is to be prepared. Cooperation in this case is an essential part of the assignment.

Credits: This course draws on ideas from similar MEMS courses offered by S. Senturia, K. Pister, and R. Ghodssi.