Electronics & Instrumentation

Microelectromechanical (MEM) Devices

John Kurian
RA1611002010630

1
 Introduction

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS, also written as micro-electro-mechanical,

MicroElectroMechanical or microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems
and the related micromechatronics) is the technology of microscopic devices,
particularly those with moving parts. It merges at the nano-scale into
nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and nanotechnology.

MEMS are made up of components between 1 and 100 micrometres in size (i.e.,
0.001 to 0.1 mm), and MEMS devices generally range in size from 20 micrometres
to a millimetre (i.e., 0.02 to 1.0 mm), although components arranged in arrays can
be more than 1000 mm2. They usually consist of a central unit that processes data
(the microprocessor) and several components that interact with the surroundings
such as microsensors. Because of the large surface area to volume ratio of MEMS,
forces produced by ambient electromagnetism, and fluid dynamics are more
important design considerations than with larger scale mechanical devices.

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 Applications

MEMS applications in various functional

domains. The term “functional domain” is
used to refer to a domain in which the MEMS
device performs a function such as sensing or
actuation. In the early stages, MEMS proved
to be a revolutionary technology in various
fields of the physical domain such as
Mechanical, Microfluidic, Acoustics, RF MEMS, and Optical MEMS. Gradually, MEMS
technology has demonstrated unique solutions and delivered innovative products in
chemical, biological and medical domains as well. MEMS have penetrated into
consumer electronics, home appliances, automotive industry, aerospace industry,
biomedical industry, recreation and sports. It should be pointed out that the term
MEMS was originally coined to refer to miniature sensors and actuators operating
between electrical and mechanical domains. Gradually, the term MEMS has evolved
to encompass a wide variety of other microdevices fabricated by micromachining.

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 MEMS was an
emerging
technology a few
years ago, but
today most
people interact
with MEMS on a
daily basis. Each
new automobile
that rolls off an
assembly line has
at least 50
MEMS; they are
important
components in various mandated safety systems, including air bags, electronic
stability control (ESC) and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS).
The small system on a chip (SOC) that automatically adjusts screen orientation on a
smart phone is another example of a MEMS many people interact with each day. As
MEMS become smaller, require less power and are less expensive to manufacture,
they are expected to play an important part in the wireless internet of things (IoT)
and home automation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microelectromechanical_systems

http://electroiq.com/blog/2013/10/mems-devices-for-biomedical-applications/

https://www.mems-exchange.org/MEMS/what-is.html

http://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/micro-electromechanical-systems-MEMS