MICROSYSTEMS - THE NEW TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

Microsystems technology is actually an extension of the technological revolution produced by microelectronics. Novel design and fabrication philosophies and many innovative technologies were developed which served to guide the outstanding success achieved by microelectronics. A logical development was to consider whether the same principles could be applied to non-electronic problems in mechanics, optics, fluid mechanics and so on, to achieve comparable improvements. This was the original motivation for microsystems technology. By means of microscale technologies (basically originating from microelectronics), sensors, actuators and other microdevices can be fabricated with similar functional density, size and costs to microelectronic components. A microsystem results from the combination of 'intelligence' (microelectronics) with 'senses' (sensors) and 'tools' (actuators). This unique combination greatly extends the possibilities of microelectronics and will influence all fields of industry, and even everyday life, considerably.