MEMS is a system that integrates mechanical, sensor, actuator and electronic elements on one silicon chip through microfabrication technologies. The field of MEMS encompasses devices created with micromachining technologies originally developed to produce integrated circuits, as well as non-silicon based devices created by the same micromachining or other techniques. They can be classified as sensors, actuators and passive structures.

Sensors and actuators are transducers that convert one physical quantity to another, such as electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical, biological, optical or thermal phenomena. MEMS sensors commonly measure pressure, force, linear acceleration, rate of angular motion, torque, and flow. The sensing or actuation conversion con use a variety of methods. MEMS actuators provide the ability to manipulate physical parameters at the microscale, and can employ eletrostatic, thermal, magnetic, piezoelectric, piezores istive, and shape memory transformation methods. Passive MEMS structures such as micronozzles are used in atomizers, medical inhalers, fluid spray systems, fuel injection, and ink jet printers.

MEMS group at IMEN develops miniature sensor and actuator systems using microfabrication. IMEN also conducts research in MEMS wafer level packaging, RF MEMS, BioMEMS and biometrics extraction. Research in these areas is motivated by the potential to produce high performance, low-cost, miniature sensors and actuators for automotive, telecommunications and biomedical applications. The output of this project will be commercialized products, knowledge for academia and skilled labors in this area.

• RF MEMS and RFIC
• MEMS Micro-pumps, Micro-valves and Micro-needles
• MEMS Loudspeakers and capacitive microphones
• MEMS Glucose Sensor
• MEMS Microfluidics Mixers
• Biocell Filter, Separator and Detector
• MEMS Microgenerator
• MEMS Micro-inductors, Micro-transformer and Magnetometers (Magnetic Sensor)
• Nano Lab-on-Chip
• Nanotube and Nanowires