General Information
The main goal of the Workshop is to examine scientific
and technological issues that pertain to the use of
micro- and nano- electromechanical systems (MEMS and
NEMS), devices and technologies in next generation commercial
and defense-related application. We will focus on fundamental
aspects of such systems as well as advanced materials
and technologies that will enable progress in this field
in the near future.
The past decade has seen unprecedented technology
developments in the area of MEMS & NEMS. Currently
the MEMS/NEMS worldwide market accounts for approximately
$7B in revenue and is projected to grow at an ~ 25%
annual rate. Numerous concepts have been identified
and investigated in detail. The transition of significant
advances in this promising technology area from the
conceptual phase into commercial and defense-related
products, however, has been somewhat slow, especially
in the 90s. To large extent, this was due to the lack
of systematic fundamental research of MEMS/NEMS science
and technology problem areas where advanced basic knowledge
may be able to make a real difference in further advancing
micro/nano technology and facilitating its great potential
to enhance future commercial and defense capabilities.
In terms of applications, micro- and nano-electromechanical
systems represent rather broad and diverse technological
areas, such as optical systems (micromirrors, waveguides,
optical sensors, integrated subsystems), life sciences
and lab equipment (micropumps, membranes, lab-on-chip,
membranes, microfluidics), sensors (bio-sensors, chemical
sensors, gas-phase sensors, sensors integrated with
electronics) and RF applications for signal transmission
(variable capacitors, tunable filters and antennas,
switches, resonators). From the scientific viewpoint,
this is a very multi-disciplinary field, including micro-
and nano-mechanics (such as stresses in structural materials),
electronic effects (e.g. charge transfer), general electrostatics,
materials science, surface chemistry, interface science,
(nano)tribology and optics. It is obvious that in order
to overcome the problems surrounding next-generation
MEMS/NEMS devices and applications it is necessary to
tackle them from different angles, theoretical chemists
need to speak with mechanical engineers, and device
engineers and modelers to listen to surface physicists.
It is therefore one of the main objectives of the workshop
to bring together a multidisciplinary team of distinguished
researchers. The problems are complex and demand a broad
and integrated vision.
One of the key obstacles for MEMS/NEMS rapid development
and commercialization is the lack of solid knowledge
of fundamental issues. There are already successful
products and promising prototypes but the progress would
have been more substantial if the basic foundations
had developed earlier. Some key priority science areas
that will be discussed at the Workshop include:
- surface physics and chemistry (i.e. understanding
the chemical and physical nature of MEMS/NEMS surfaces,
interfaces, the role of surfaces and materials interfaces
during processing, device operation, and long-term
reliability);
- device and reliability physics (i.e. understanding
the physical basis for operation and failure in all
types of MEMS/NEMS as well as life-time projections,
scientific studies of fatigue of materials and interfaces
at micro- and nano-scales);
- modeling (i.e. developing new methods for simulating
MEMS/NEMS performance);
- understanding fundamental mechanisms of MEMS actuator
and devices for sensing various agents and development
new types of sensors.
- Applications, including RF MEMS, optical MEMS,
switches, sensors, and other MEMS devices
- Micro-/nano-fabrication, processing techniques,
materials and technologies used in surface and bulk
micromachining
- MEMS/NEMS characterization
The participants of the Workshop represent a rather
diverse international group of recognized scientists
and engineers who bring a broad array of backgrounds
and strengths into the workshop. The group comes from
academic, industrial and governmental labs, and has
both experimental and theoretical researchers with backgrounds
in basic and applied areas of physics, chemistry, mechanical
and electrical engineering, surface and materials science.
This workshop continues the sucessful tradition of
our series of meetings in the following important areas
of nano-science and technology
- NATO
ARW Fundamental Aspects of Ultrathin Dielectrics on
Si-based Devices: Towards an Atomic-Scale Understanding,
St Petersburg, Russia, 1997
- International Conference on Next Generation Materials
and Devices for Si-based Microelectronics", Shanghai,
China. 1999
- International Workshop on Device Technology: Alternatives
to SiO2 as Gate Dielectric for Future Si-based
Microelectronics, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2001
- NATO
ARW "Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Ultrananocrystalline
Diamond", St Petersburg, Russia, June 7-10, 2004
- NATO
ARW "Defects in Advanced High-K Dielectric Nano-Electronic
Semiconductor Devices" St Petersburg, Russia,
July 1114, 2005 (
Proceedings DeHik'2005 )
- Fullerene
meetings: IWFAC'95, IWFAC'97, IWFAC'99, IWFAC'01,
IWFAC'03, IWFAC'05, IWFAC'07, IWFAC'09
The workshop will be followed by IWFAC'09
meeting in July 6-10, 2009. |