MEMS and Nanotechnology

MEMS and Nanotechnology Technical Division-Updated May 2011

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology are revolutionary enabling technologies (ET).  These technologies merge the functions of sensing, actuation, and controls with computation and communication to affect the way people and machines interact with the physical world.  This is done by integrating advances in various multidisciplinary fields to produce very small devices that use very low power and operate in many different environments.  Today, developments in MEMS and nanotechnology are being made at an unprecedented rate, driven by both technology and user requirements.  These developments depend on micromechanical and nanomechanical analyses as well as characterization of structures comprising nanophase materials.

The objective of the MEMS and Nanotechnology TD is to provide a forum for an up-to-date account of the advances in the field of MEMS and nanotechnology and to promote an alliance of governmental, industrial, and academic practitioners of the ET.  During the year 2010, MEMS and Nanotechnology TD organized and sponsored The 11^th International Symposium on MEMS and Nanotechnology (11^th-ISMAN) in Indianapolis, IN.

The 2010 Symposium was the eleventh in the series and addressed pertinent issues relating to design, analysis, fabrication, testing, optimization, applications, and education of MEMS and nanotechnology, especially as these issues relate to experimental mechanics of the microscale and nanoscale structures.  The keynote addresses, invited papers, and contributed presentations were organized into the 14 technical sessions of the 11^th International Symposium on MEMS and Nanotechnology (11^th-ISMAN).  The sessions of the 11^th-ISMAN related to: Keynote Addresses, Sensor and Actuators, Energy Harvesting, Inertial and Mass Measurements, Friction and Tribology, Carbon Nanotubes, Metamaterials, Novel Applications, Adhesion and Stiction, Optical Methods for MEMS & Nano., Scaling Effects, Fabrication, Thin-films, and Mechanics of MEMS & Nano.

The following individuals, in collaboration with the TD officers, volunteered to lead the 2011, 12^th-ISMAN, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT, organizational activities:

1)  Multiphysics of Nanostructures, Yong Zhu, NCSU; and Horacio Espinosa, NWU

2)  Fabrication, MEMS TD

3)  Advances in Nanoindentation, Bart Prorok, Auburn U.

4)  Micromechanical and MEMS-based testing, Cynthia Byer, JHU; and Johan P.M. Hoefnagels, Eindhoven UT

5)  Optical techniques for MEMS and Nano., Cosme Furlong, WPI

6)  Sensors and actuators, Derrick Langley, AFIT

7)  Metamaterials, Ronald A. Coutu and Derrick Langley, AFIT

8)  Acoustic/Phononic metamaterials, Zayd Leseman, UNM

9)  Metrology and standards for MEMS and NEMS, Gordon Shaw, NIST

10) MEMS and NEMS reliability, Maarten de Boer, CMU

11) Thin Films, MEMS TD.

12) Mechanics of MEMS and Nanotechnology, MEMS TD

13) Poster Session, MEMS TD

The ISMAN Symposium Series will be continued and preparations are being made for the 13^th Symposium on MEMS and Nanotechnology (i.e., 13^th-ISMAN) to be held in June 2012. 

The organizers of the 11^th ISMAN would like to thank all of the authors, session chairs, invited and keynote speakers for their participation.