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Microtechnology's most famous success is the integrated circuit. It has also been used to construct micromachinery . As an offshoot of researchers attempting to further miniaturize microtechnology, nanotechnology emerged in the 1980s, particularly after the invention of new microscopy techniques. [ 4 ]
Microtechnology is a set of processes, techniques and tools used to create structures having at least one dimension of a functional feature in order of micrometer (one millionth of a metre, or 10-6 metre, or 1μm), typically within the range of 10 −4 to 10 −7 meters and application of those structures in more complex systems.
Microfabricated devices are not generally freestanding devices but are usually formed over or in a thicker support substrate. For electronic applications, semiconducting substrates such as silicon wafers can be used. For optical devices or flat panel displays, transparent substrates such as glass or quartz are common.
Lift-off is applied in cases where a direct etching of structural material would have undesirable effects on the layer below. Lift-off is a cheap alternative to etching in a research context, which permits a slower turn-around time.
MOEMS includes a wide variety of devices, for example optical switch, optical cross-connect, tunable VCSEL, microbolometers. These devices are usually fabricated using micro-optics and standard micromachining technologies using materials like silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride and gallium arsenide.
These devices are typically made from semiconductor materials. Many components of a normal electronic design are available in a microelectronic equivalent. These include transistors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, diodes and (naturally) insulators and conductors can all be found in microelectronic devices.
Microscopic mechanical elements such as micromotors, micropumps, and other microfluidic devices can be produced using direct-write concepts. In addition to additive and subtractive processes, DLW allows for the modification of the properties of a material.
An example of a bio-MEMS device is this automated FISH microchip, which integrates a reagent multiplexer, a cell chamber with a thin-film heater layer, and a peristaltic pump. [ 1 ] Bio-MEMS is an abbreviation for biomedical (or biological) microelectromechanical systems .