Essentially, this nanotechnology-derivative allows the “brains” and the “arms and legs” of an operating system to be put onto one small silicon microchip, whereas prior the development of MEMS they were two separate systems that had to be integrated.

Not only does the new one-chip combination allow for streamlined efficiency, it also means lower production costs and more reliability.

Additionally, it has made possible a whole new set of “smart” products that can use the MEMS chip to bridge gaps between various disciplines.

This amazing synergy is nowhere more evident than in the medical field. In some cases MEMS has been used to enhance previously-existing devices, such as scalpels. Many surgical tools have been equipped with “smart” technology to give them a more delicate touch when dealing with the human body.

MEMS is perfect for this application because it is an offshoot of nanotechnology and its extremely small size makes it capable of both large-scale and microscopic control.

No matter how highly trained a surgeon is, he or she is still operating on the macro-scale, and the human body functions largely on the micro-scale. Especially when it comes to delicate operations such as removing a tumor, MEMS technology can help to remove cancerous tissue right down to the last molecule so that there is no chance of re-growth.

In the MEMS scalpel, for example, scientists put the sensor chip as close to the edge of the blade as possible. Not only does this allow doctors and surgeons to have extremely delicate control over their tools, but it also improves the possible level of control so much that scientists anticipate new surgical procedures developing around MEMS technology.

To make any type of surgery go more smoothly, these superior sensors can read and relay information about the surgery being performed so that surgeons have information about the area in which they are cutting as well as data that shows how their surgery is progressing.

In some situations it can be difficult to see clearly what is going on inside the human body, but MEMS scalpels could provide mapping technology to guide surgeons more clearly.

They could also protect the patient from mistakes; some companies have even equipped MEMS scalpels with the ability to shut themselves off if the blade wanders too close to a vein.  Needles and drills could provide similar levels of control and information so that in the future, surgery will be much more reliable, accurate, and safe than it has traditionally been.

MEMS technology also leads to greater safety for automobile drivers. With their super-powerful sensors, MEMS accelerometers can sense when a vehicle has been in an impact; they can even judge the speed and severity of the crash in order to deploy airbags at the right speed and volume.

This is important because in many cases, airbags that deploy either too quickly or too slowly can cause death. Manufacturers will be able to save lives by implementing this smart technology.

These same accelerometers can be adapted in surprising ways; you may have heard of a little thing called the iPhone, which actually uses extensive MEMS technology for many of its applications. Sensitive MEMS accelerometers can be scaled down and incorporated into handheld devices like mobile phones.

They allow the phone to sense which way it is being turned and shift the screen from a portrait layout to a landscape layout, for example. They are also responsible for much of the hype about iPhone games, which use gimmicks like shaking the phone in order to roll dice.

Cell phone MEMS devices can also be integrated with an electronic compass in order to provide the GPS positioning system that iPhones offer. Because of MEMS’ tiny size and versatility this technology can produce everything a consumer could ever want in a phone; already it has led to cell phone microphones, autofocus actuators, BAW filters and duplexers, projectors, inclinometers, pressure sensors, and pico-projectors.

It’s hard to imagine what else could possibly be crammed into one small phone, yet researchers are constantly finding more ways to pack MEMS applications into cell phones while at the same time making those phones smaller and smaller.

This shows a rising trend in petite, sophisticated electronics manufacturers who want MEMS accelerometers and other high-tech devices for their products. With the touch-based system that MEMS makes possible and that millions of consumers have now experienced through the iPhone, this kind of performance is expected from newer phones.

Thanks to Apple’s success story, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and LG have all realized the importance of the MEMS device and each manufacturer has released several new models that make use of this new technology.

MEMS chips are great for the “wow” factor of a phone because they make handheld devices seem “smart,” allowing the user to interact completely with his or her phone or palm pilot. In 2008, only 10% of cell phones had MEMS capabilities.

Now, in 2009, that number has risen to 20%, or in other words one out of every five phones; analysts anticipate that by 2010 no less than one out of every three phones will incorporate MEMS “smart” technology as an integral part of its design. If MEMS technology catches on faster, however, this number could rise until virtually every phone or handheld device will have to include MEMS technology in order to be competitive.

All this burgeoning development leads to big profits for those involved in MEMS research and production. It is anticipated that MEMS, along with its sister field of nanotechnology, will provide more jobs than possibly any other area in the next 10 to 15 years.

Nanotech has the potential to revolutionize the economy; it promises big money in research, production, and marketing. Advertising specialists expect that the mobile phone market alone will reach $1.6 billion in pure sales by 2013. This makes nanotechnology and its MEMS offshoot the safest bet for investors and industry workers in the near future.

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This unique system combines sensors, actuators, mechanical components, and electronics on one silicon base; essentially it is a type of glorified computer chip.

Typically, microfabrication is used to apply the various elements to their silicon wafer.

The many components that go on the wafer all have their different manufacturing processes: electronics are typically made separately using integrated circuit, or IC, process sequences (this can include BICMOS, CMOS, or Bipolar techniques.) The micromechanical elements, on the other hand, are often micromachined.

This means that a high-tech device, sometimes a laser cutter, etches away parts of the silicon chip, or sometimes areas are added in order to create the end result.With the advent of MEMS technology, the techno-geek dream of having an entire system on one chip has become reality.

Prior to MEMS, two separate components were required to work in tandem: the microelectronics on a silicon chip, and the micromachined mechanical elements in a different format. Combining them into one efficient MEMS system eliminates several steps of production as well as the need for a connector between the two elements.

This allows for the development of “smart” products because microelectronics can perform delicate computational functions which are then enacted by the fine-tuned physical accuracy of microsensors and microactuators. Smart MEMS products with these kinds of capabilities open up a whole new world of applications and technological design possibilities.

Understanding what the different parts of a MEMS chip are all about becomes easy when you think of the microelectronic integrated circuits as the brains of the operation, sending signals to the microsystems that will then act as eyes, arms, legs, etc. to carry out the desired action.

Once the microsensors have received the circuits’ directions they sense their environment, measuring different factors such as thermal readings, biological presence, mechanical functions, chemicals, optical information, and magnetics—this information is then relayed back to the “brain” for more decision-making, and all of these steps take place in a matter of seconds.

The fact that MEMS microchips can to some degree make their own decisions fits in with other innovations in the field of nanotechnology; nanotech scientists have always made it plain that they are working toward an ideal autonomous product (which will perhaps reach its peak expression in the nanorobot, but is nevertheless an integral part of most nanotechnology products.)

Decision-making capabilities as well as sensors that allow the MEMS chip to detect its environment are key factors in its superior functioning. The actuators usually perform functions like physically moving their entity, positioning in small increments, regulating data, pumping fluids or air, and filtering various substances.

Typically the functions associated with a device that uses MEMS technology are somehow related to controlling the surrounding environment in order to achieve a desired outcome. Before MEMS technology other devices were capable of doing similar tasks, but to date none has been as efficient as MEMS.

This is because MEMS chips can typically be made using batch fabrication manufacturing in much the same way that integrated circuits are produced, which renders them extremely low in cost as well as more functional, more reliable, and also more sophisticated. And perhaps the best part is that all of these superior features can be combined onto one small silicon chip.

Almost every industry can benefit from having such fine-tuned technology at their disposal. The dual nature of MEMS systems allow them to bridge gaps between previously unassociated subjects, such as microelectronics and biology, for example.

Biotechnology has benefited from MEMS developments like the Polymerase Chain Reaction microsystems which can be used to amplify and identify DNA. MEMS has also given rise to Scanning Tunneling Microscopes, which are made with the micromachining process; biochips that have the ability to scan and detect chemical and biological agents which may be hazardous; and microsystems that render drug screening and selection more effective.

In the communications field, high frequency circuits have been upgraded with MEMS technology so that they can perform better and more cost-efficiently. Electrical elements of these circuits tend to benefit the most, such as their tunable capacitors and their inductors—and best of all, production and installation become a simplified process because no integration is required when MEMS is used.

The mechanical switches used to run these systems also show large improvements when upgraded with MEMS. The only drawback for MEMS communications devices lies in their reliability and packaging; in some cases the same product has had consistency issues across the board and resolving these problems will prompt greater acceptance in the marketplace.

Accelerometers are used for a variety of scientific applications, and MEMS can improve these functions too. MEMS accelerometers are quickly rendering their conventional counterparts obsolete, especially when it comes to airbag deployment in automobiles.

MEMS accelerometers can sense not only the fact that an impact has occurred, but they can also judge the speed, intensity, and several other crash-related factors in order to determine the rate at which an airbag system should deploy and also how much of the airbag to release.

This has the potential to save lives, since too much or too little airbag has often resulted in crash deaths. The traditional accelerometer is actually a series of devices integrated together at various points throughout the vehicle, with their attendant electronics positioned near the airbag.

This system is not only clunky and awkward, but allows the system parts to become cut off from each other at several points, possibly resulting in complete lack of accuracy or even a total system malfunction.

This conventional accelerometer package typically costs about $50 per vehicle. MEMS nanotech accelerometers, on the other hand, can integrate all the fundamental parts onto one small silicon chip. Such an approach renders them lighter, more accurate, and less expensive—MEMS accelerometers tend to average about $5 or $10 per vehicle, saving the consumer money many times over.

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