Multi-stage collaborative system for microelectromechanical systems manufacturing

In order to reap the economic rewards from a new technology, it is necessary for it to be commercialized by private enterprise. A lot of research work and product development is being done in universities in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) field. Unfortunately, much of these early stage MEMS developments can not be easily prototyped or produced due to the lack of required manufacturing facilities able to address the complex set of related manufacturing processes within a single institution. This paper describes a proposed methodology for a system capable of coordinating the interaction among different organizations and different facilities in order to optimize the commercialization of diverse MEMS ideas. A systematic commercialization model will be discussed. The model will ultimately be extended to nanotechnology which is at an even earlier stage of development than MEMS. This system will allow the researcher to take advantage of all the strengths and unique capabilities of various institutes and companies that may not be necessarily located geographically close to each other.