MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical systems) are undoubtedly an enabling key technology for the 21st century, as they can contribute to solutions for practically all grand societal challenges humanity is facing, such as sustainable growth, mobility, environmental problems, health and renewable energy. This fascinating and multidisciplinary research field will certainly strongly grow over the next years, and already represents an important economic factor. MEMS based technology currently has an estimated worldwide revenue of 15-20 billion USD and a forecast of 15-20% annual growth for the foreseeable future.

The short course will cover the main fabrication and design principles of a wide range of MEMS devices, using plenty of practical examples from industry for illustration. A detailed economic breakdown of various MEMS devices and their applications will be given. For fabrication, the main foundry processes will be explained, and for the design the industry standard CAD tools for MEMS devices will be described. The devices covered in the course include pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, resonant sensors, energy harvesters, biosensors, actuators and microphones. There will be a special emphasis on emerging application driven MEMS markets such as biomedical sensors, Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. After attending the short course, the participants will have a sound knowledge in MEMS design and fabrication, well prepared to enter the commercial opportunities this field currently is offering.

Engineers from companies planning to enter or recently have entered the MEMS field. Postgraduate university students planning to work on MEMS for their PhD or Master project.

Lecture 1: What is MEMS?

-Where did MEMS come from?

-Definitions of MEMS, Microsystemtechnology and Nanotechnology

-Scaling laws

-Some real world examples

Lecture 2: Economic Status and Predictions

-Current Market and their economic status

-Market data for various MEMS devices and their applications

-Emerging applications in consumer electronics, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 and high value markets

- Main MEMS players and product roadmap

- Discussion Session

Lecture 3: Fabrication Principles for MEMS

- Surface and bulk micromachining

- Standard MEMS fabrication processes

- Economics of fully integrated vs hybrid MEMS

- MEMS CMOS integration

- Description of main MEMS foundry services and processes

-Discussion Session

Lecture 1: Design Principles for MEMS Physical Sensors

- Main transduction principles used in MEMS

- Main actuation principles used in MEMS

- CAD and simulation tools for MEMS

- Practical examples

Lecture 2: MEMS Pressure Sensors and Their Applications

- Principles of operation

- Pressure sensors for automotive applications

- Pressure Sensors for consumer applications

- Pressure sensors for medical applications (active implants)

- Discussion Session

Lecture 3: MEMS Inertial Sensors

- Principles of operation

- Accelerometers and gyroscopes

- Inertial sensors for consumer applications

- Inertial sensors for high performance applications

- Q&A Session

-Discussion Session

Lecture1: MEMS Devices for Biochemical and medical applications

- MEMS resonator sensors for bio-analyte concentration measurement

- Enzymatic sensors

- Artificial retinal prosthesis

- Lab on a chip

Lecture 2: MEMS for Internet of Things and Industry 4.0

- Energy harvesters

- MEMS for wearable technology

- MEMS for smart production

- The trillion sensor vision

- Q&A Session

Lecture 3: Emerging MEMS and Applications

- MEMS microphones and ultrasonic sensors

- MEMS actuators (autofocus, inkjet, microspeaker)

- MEMS bolometer

- RF MEMS and oscillator

- Gas and humidity sensors

- UV Sensors

- MEMS display

- Academic MEMS research topics

-Round-up and Feedback Session

Michael Kraft is a Professor of Micro- and Nanosystems at the University of Liege, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Montefiore Institute). From 2012-2014, he was at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems in Duisburg, Germany, where he headed the Department of Micro- and Nanosystems focussing on fully integrated microsensors and biohybrid systems. He concurrently held the W3 Professorial Chair of Integrated Micro- and Nanosystems at the University of Duisburg-Essen.From 1999 to 2012 he was a faculty member and Professor of Micro-System-Technology at the University of Southampton, UK. Concurrently, he also was the director of the Southampton Nanofabrication Centre. He graduated with a Dipl.-Ing. (Univ.) in electrical and electronics engineering at the Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 1993. In 1997 he was awarded a PhD from Coventry University on the development of a MEMS accelerometer. He then spent two years at the Berkeley Sensors and Actuator Centre at the University of California working on integrated MEMS gyroscopes. He has 20 years of experience in micro- and nano-fabrication techniques, microsensors and actuators and their interface circuits, in particular for capacitive sensors. He has a broad interest in MEMS and nanotechnology ranging from process development to system integration of MEMS and nano-devices. In 2005 his research group developed the world’s first fifth order sigma-delta-modulator (SDM) interface for a MEMS accelerometer, and in 2007 a band-pass SDM for a MEMS gyroscope. He has done ground-breaking work on electrostatically levitated micro-objects for sensing and actuation applications, and developed several novel, micro-fabricated atom and ion chips. He has published over 200 peer reviewed journal and conference publications as an author or co-author. He also contributed to three text books on MEMS, and edited a book on MEMS for aerospace and automotive applications. He currently serves on several steering and technical committees of international conferences such as IEEE Sensors, Eurosensors and MME, as well as being an associate editor for the journals Mechanical Sciences and Sensors and Sensors Systems. He also has done industrial consultancy for many companies active in the MEMS field.