MEMS Measurement Science and Standards

The microelectronics revolution, which started in 1947 with the invention of the transistor, is epitomized in Moore's Law, which describes the steady progress in integrating ever larger numbers of even smaller transistors on a single chip. Today functional diversification is the main driving force for the growth of the microelectronics industry. This relatively new component of the microelectronics revolution, which is characterized as "More than Moore," attempts to extend integration to the devices that provide input to and take output from the computer. In many cases, this involves miniaturize of these devices. This project's goal is to provide the metrology required to enable the "More than Moore" component of the microelectronics industry to produce ever more highly integrated miniaturized systems.

Integrating ever larger numbers of even smaller transistors to produce faster and more integrated-circuit logic and memory chips, which has been the base upon which many other new technologies were built, has changed the world in fundamental ways. But this paradigm, which is referred to as Moore’s Law or scaling, is now quite mature and not nearly as effective at leveraging progress as formerly.
 
But this does not signal the end of the microelectronics revolution. A new paradigm, which is adding completely new capabilities to integrated circuit chips, is a rapidly growing component of the microelectronics industry’s Road Map. This component, which is often referred to as “More than Moore” to distinguish it from Moore’s Law scaling is based on applying, adapting, and extending the same technology used to produce integrated circuits to include new functionality at the chip level, such as sensors and actuators. This paradigm offers the possibility of creating systems of unprecedented complexity and power, but it also introduces new challenges for metrology. Every new function beyond the classical ones of amplification, modulation, demodulation, and filtering requires development of a new on-chip measurement capability including appropriate standards. 

Because it supports the “More than Moore” paradigm, this project includes a number of diverse activities. In fact, you could say that this project focuses on diversity. The activities of the project fall into three major groups. The first group, which is called Standards for Micro Technologies, is addressing the technology and metrology needed to support the integration of microcircuits, microfluidic devices, micro-sensors and micro-actuators. The second group, Cellular Bioelectronics Metrology, is focused on the technology and metrology needed to enable a Smart Petri Dish. The third group, Nano Electromechanical Systems, is concerned with developing and applying microfluidic and nanofluidic devices to the formation, characterization, and separation of nanoparticles.

• Developed the first MEMS documentary standards
  
• • Nanoscale linewidth reference materials
  • Integrated circuit chips with micromachined gas sensors
  • Single mask process for arbitrary nanoscale Z-dimension topography
• In microfluidic devices demonstrated
• • Fluid heating with a micro microwave oven
  • Electronic cell capture, growth monitoring, and release
    
  • Controlled formation of liposomes by hydrodynamic focusing
    
• Organized the Nanogram Demonstration League for Robocup competitions