"MEMS Research at Caltech"

Yu-Chong Tai
Director, Caltech Micromachining Lab Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology

Abstract:
The Caltech Micromachining Laboratory was established in 1990 and is a microlab exclusively for MEMS research. The lab facilities include a clean room fab, a CAD lab and a MEMS measurement/test lab. The lab emphasizes hands-on exercise of micromachining and is completely run by graduate students. Currently, it supports more than 20 researchers and various projects.

This talk will then cover many highlights of MEMS research from this lab. They include aero-MEMS, bio-MEMS, electromagnetic-MEMS and many others. For example, we have been working on aerodynamic control using MEMS. We have developed MEMS shear-stress imagers and balloon actuators to perform leading-edge separation control of an unmanned air vehicle (UAV). We have invented a thin-film electret technology using spin-coated teflon and developed an electret microphone. We have developed microfluidic devices such as microfilters, cell lysing device, and microvalves. Other examples will then include electromagnetic micro relays, scanning mirrors for holographic data storage, neurochips for live neural network study, micro mixers for chemical reaction study, electrospray nozzles for mass spectroscopy. Discussion will cover MEMS materials, processing technologies, device design and performance. Videotapes will demonstrate recent work

Biography:
Yu-Chong received his Ph.D. in EECS from UC Berkeley in 1989, where his dissertation on IC processed polysilicon micromechanics received the David J. Sakrison Memorial Prize for the best thesis. He been teaching at Caltech since 1989. He was also the recipient of the Presidential Young Investigator Award while at UC Berkeley. He has over 12 years experience doing micromachines and MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) research.