4. Conclusion

This article introduced the concept of microsystems, or MEMS, as intelligent miniaturized multifunctional devices that combine mechanical, optical, electromagnetic, thermal, or fluidic elements with embedded electronics. They can be classified according to their physical transduction principle, i.e., according to the phenomena that enable the quantity to be measured to be converted into a measurable electrical quantity. After providing a few definitions, we summarized the available manufacturing technologies, then described 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 fields.

The article concludes with some prospects for developments in the MEMS field, in particular steady market...