Breakout Session Report: Mechanisms of Nano-Scale Tribology and Instrumentation for MEMS Devices

Abstract

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field dealing with the design and manufacturing of miniaturized micromachines using mainly semiconductor technology. Recent demands have led to significant research efforts aiming to the integration of electrical, mechanical, optical, fluidic, thermal, and biological microdevices into versatile microsystems capable of performing complex sensing, control, and computing functions. It is predicted that by the end of the century MEMS device revenues will exceed ten billion dollars. Early indications suggest that, while significant opportunities exist for MEMS, a large number of challenging issues are presently preventing the evolution of MEMS from the laboratory to the application world.