Overview
ABSTRACT
Microsystems are intelligent miniaturized multifunctional devices that combine mechanical, optical, electromagnetic, thermal or fluidic elements with on-board electronics. They can play the role of sensors, identifying the physical parameters of their environment (pressure, acceleration, temperature, etc.), or the role of actuators acting on that environment.
This article describes microsystems, from the essential definitions to the main applications, while detailing the main categories of devices including their real implementation.
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Read the articleAUTHOR
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Gaëlle LISSORGUES: Professor at ESIEE Paris - ESYCOM Laboratory, Gustave Eiffel University (Noisy-Champs, France)
INTRODUCTION
Microsystems, which first appeared in the late 1980s and were commercialized in the 1990s and 2000s, continue to attract significant interest in industry, particularly due to their small size and innovative measurement capabilities. This technology involves integrating microsensors or actuators and embedded processing electronics onto a single silicon chip. The prospects for integration and collective manufacturing offered by microelectronics have opened up development opportunities in both the industrial and consumer worlds with the rapid rise of the Internet of Things.
These devices are known as MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) in the United States, micromachines in Japan, and MST (MicroSystems Technologies) in Europe, or more simply microsystems in France. The first products to be marketed were accelerometers for car airbags, inkjet printer heads, and micromirrors for video projectors, followed by microswitches and tunable filters for telecommunications, and microfluidic chips for environmental and health applications.
The article begins with essential definitions relating to the design of microsystems, with a summary of the manufacturing technologies available. It then presents the main families of microsystems (inertial, radio frequency, optical, biological) associated with industrial applications (automotive, aeronautics, robotics, etc.), as well as more recent developments in the environmental and health sectors. It concludes with some prospects for developments in the field of MEMS.
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KEYWORDS
sensor | microsystems | actuators
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Microsystems
Definitions
Bibliography
Standards and norms
- Road vehicles – Functional safety, ISO standard for safety systems in motor vehicles. - ISO 26262 - Décembre 2018
Directory
Examples of commercial MEMS
For industry: accelerometers, gyrometers, microphones, and pressure sensors
ADXL 345 circuit – https://www.analog.com/en/products/adxl345.html
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