Stevens Institute of Technology

ME 573 Syllabus

Introduction to Micro/Nano electromechanical Systems

Fall Term 2006

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Description:

Introduction to microsystem design, modeling and fabrication. Course topics include material properties of Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microfabrication technologies, structural behavior, sensing and actuation principles and methods. Emphasis on microsystems design, modeling and simulation including lumped element modeling and finite element analysis. The emerging nano materials, processes and devices will be also discussed. Student teams design microsystems (sensors, actuators, and sensing/control systems) of a variety of types, (optical MEMS, bioMEMS, inertial sensors, etc.) to meet a set of performance specifications using a realistic microfabrication process.

Time and Location: Thursday, 6:15-8:45, main campus E229

Instructors:

Yong Shi, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, E-207, x-5594

TA: none

Text book and references:

S. Senture, Microsystems Design)

T. R. Hsu, MEMS and Microsystems: Design and Manufacture, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2001. (preferred text book)

Marc Madou, Fundamentals of Microfabrication, CRC, 1998 & 2002.

Gregory T.A. Kovacs, Micromachined Transducers Sourcebook, McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Nadim Maluf, An Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems Engineering, Artech House, 2000.

Who should take the course and prerequisite:

The course is open to any science, engineering and mathematics students who are senior level undergraduates or graduates and want to learn about the design and fabrication of MEMS.

The prerequisite courses are MT596 (Micro fabrication) and ME345 (Modeling and simulation) or permission of instructor.

Schedule and contents

Week	Lecture	Subject	HW	Due	Projects
31-Aug	1	Course Instroduction
	2	Intro to MEMS	PS1
7-Sep	3	Microfabrication: thin film
	4	Microfabrication: bulk	PS2	PS1
14-Sep	5	Movie: Photolithography
	6	Movie: Deposition
21-Sep	7	Library orientation	PS3	PS2
	8	Process Integration
28-Sep	9	Matrerials Properties	PS4	PS3
	10	Design Principles/Modeling
5-Oct	11	Lumped Modeling	Ps5	ps4
	12	Energy-conserving Transducers
12-Oct	13	Dynamics	Ps6		Define Projects
	14	Structures
19-Oct	15	Energy Methods	ps7	ps65	Collect Prefs
	16	Multidisciplinary Natures
26-Oct	17	FEA for MEMS			Assign Teams
	18	Quiz
2-Nov	19	Micro Actuators I		PS7
	20	Micro Actuators II
9-Nov	21	Micro Sensors I		PS6
	22	Micro Sensors II
16-Nov	23	Packaging			Prelim Report
	24	Case study I: RFMEMS
23-Nov		Thanksgiving break
30-Nov	25	Case study II: Capacitive Accelerometer
	26	Nano Materials			Interim Report
7-Dec	27	Nano Process and Devices I
	28	Nano Process and Devices II
14-Dec		Final Projects Presentations
18-Dec					Final Report Due

2. GOALS

To introduce students to topics in the design, modeling and fabrication of microsystems to prepare them to engage in research, further study or entry-level positions in microsystem technology industry. This will be achieved through a combination of lectures, case studies, individual homework assignments, and design projects carried out in teams.

3. REQUIREMENTS

There will be five to six individual homework assignments, usually requiring some independent work either in the library or with modeling, plus a final design project done in teams of four or five students. A preliminary short report on the design project is due in mid-November; a brief intermediate report is due on Dec. 1, and the final design project presentations will occur during the last class, depending on the number of projects.

Grading for the undergraduate students will emphasize individual assignments and classroom participation and will de-emphasize the project and overall exam scores. This is done so that the undergraduates can focus more on the elementary concepts through homework assignments and classroom participation rather than on the more advanced, research-oriented project. Graduate students will be required to take a leadership role on team-based projects and will be assessed in that capacity.

4. GRADING

30% on homework;

30% on midterm quiz

40% on the final project.

Grades may be adjusted accordingly based on group performance. Relative weight between homework, projects, attendance and exams may also vary depending upon group performance.

5. POLICY ON COOPERATION

Students learn best from each other. 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. But 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 the term projects, a single report from each team is to be prepared. Cooperation in this case is an essential part of the assignment.

6. DESIGN PROJECT EXAMPLES

Some sample design projects are described briefly below, and are representative of the types of projects we will use. Descriptions, specifications and design goals for this term's projects will be provided later in the term. The scope of each project will include a microfabricated device, the drive/detection electronics, and a packaging concept. Each project will have a team of four or five students. Depending on enrollment, there may be more than one team on a given topic.

1). A piezoresistive sensor for biomolecular recognition
The goal of this project is to create cantilever-based device that detects stress induced by molecular binding. Two cantilevers (operated differentially) will be created out of SU-8 with integrated poly-Si piezoresistors. The packaged device will be used in a hand-held point-of-care diagnostic monitor and so must be robust, small, and connected to a circuit that gives an output proportional to the logarithm of the concentration ratio.

2). A micro flex-tester for measuring the compliance of microstructures
The goal of this project is to build a microfabricated force-displacement sensor device to characterize the compliance of microstructures. The micro-flextester is a metrology tool used to measure the actual force-displacement characteristic of microfabricated compliant structures. You will select a sensing scheme (i.e., piezoresistive strain gauges or capacitive displacement sensors) and use it in a device that must be small, have tunable force resolution, and integrated displacement and force sensing.

7. REFERENCE MATERIALS:

Gregory T.A. Kovacs, Micromachined Transducers Sourcebook, McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Nadim Maluf, An Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems Engineering, Artech House, 2000.

A. Nathan and H. Baltes, Microtransducer CAD: Physical and Computational Aspects,, Springer, 1999.

B. Romanowicz, Methodology for the Modeling and Simulation of Microsystems, Kluwer, 1998.

Masood Tabib-Azar, Microactuators, Kluwer, 1998.

Julian W. Gardner, Microsensors: Principles and Applications, Wiley, 1994

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. Stephen A. Campbell, The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication, 2nd Edition, Oxford, 2001

IEEE Reprint Books:

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)