WHAT DID I DO THIS SUMMER

RET 2014Gloria Alonso

WHAT IS RETRET stands for Research Experiences for Teachers that provides teacher professional development experiences involving hands-on research in a university, government lab or company. 

National Science Foundation is the largest funder of RETs via the Directorates for Engineering, Geosciences, Biological Sciences, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers and others.

The goal of NSF’s programs is to help build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers, community college faculty, and the NSF university research community by involving teachers in research and helping them translate their research experiences and new knowledge into classroom activities. 

FIU RET PROGRAM 2014Even though I’m familiar with FIU, I had no idea of the incredible research that it’s being done by the professors at FIU.

There are so many different departments working together in order to reach a common goal. It’s a big scientific community contributing on each other’s research in order to better serve this community.

This program is a great opportunity that is presented to teachers to open their eyes into improving their own curriculum and to incorporate technology, engineering and many other areas of science into their classrooms.

THE PROGRAM

This is a 6 week program in which teachers get to partner with a college professor, who becomes our mentor, and we are able to work together and learn from their research.

We also had the opportunity to attend seminars and to work with professionals to develop protocols and lesson plans to incorporate what we learned into our classrooms.We were also exposed to the processes needed to create a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) pressure sensor and the use of the clean lab room and its equipment.

RESEARCH WITH MENTOR

I had the opportunity of working under Dr. Bhansali, and with his PhD prospect Patrick Roman. As part of our work, we learned about the research that they are developing, from the sensor used in the measurement of cortisol to the development of a small scale mass spectrometer.I created two posters about MEMS and Pressure Sensors. I am including them in the next two slides. Shekhar Bhansali, Ph.D.

Introduction

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)RET Program 2014

Gloria Alonso

MEMS Market

MEMS History

"Consumer applications are transforming the MEMS industry," according to Laurent Robin, activity leader for Inertial MEMS Devices and Technologies at Yole Developpement in France, who predicted compound annual growth of 13 percent for the next five years.The Yole analyst said that ST Microelectronics, the consumer MEMS supplier to Apple and Samsung, is the top MEMS chipmaker today, followed by Bosch (for automotive), Texas Instruments (for digital light processors), and Hewlett Packard (for inkjet printer cartridges). MEMS for mobile, Robin claimed, is the driver for future growth, noting that smartphones have as many as 12 MEMS chips today, growing to as many as 20 in the near future.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) consists of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electrical and electronics devices on a common silicon substrate. The most popular material used for MEMS is Silicon for it's semiconductor, physical and commercial properties. The size of MEMS sub-components is in the range of 1 to 100 micrometers and the size of MEMS device itself measure in the range of 20 micrometers to a millimeter. The sensors in MEMS gather information from the environment through measuring mechanical, thermal, biological, chemical, optical, and magnetic phenomena. The electronics then process the information derived from the sensors and through some decision making capability direct the actuators to respond by moving, positioning, regulating, pumping, and filtering, thereby controlling the environment for some desired outcome or purpose.

MEMS Manufacturers

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Applications

Since the invention of the transistor in 1947, scientists have been trying to improve and develop new micro-electro-mechanical systems. MEMS devices have been used in many commercial products throughout the years. New applications and better technologies are emerging every day. The first MEMS devices measured such things as pressure in engines and motion in cars. Today, MEMS elements are controlling our communications networks. They are saving lives by inflating automobile air bags. They are also placed on the human body to monitor blood pressure and used to administer drugs more precisely.Microsystems will continue to get smaller, creating new technology. The applications and growth for MEMS are endless and will continue to find their way into so many aspects of our everyday lives.

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As seen on the above diagram, MEMS devices can be used in many different fields. In the communications field, Smart MEMS could be used to connect optical fiber networks, and control radio frequency circuits and mobile phone antennas. The same Smart MEMS chip could be used in a different way in an automobile, in the sensors for engine and driving controls. In the field of transportation, the chips could be used to keep a record of the changing environmental and storage conditions of foods, organic, or other sensitive materials for the entire duration of their transportation. In the medical field, Smart MEMS could be used to monitor a patient’s pulse, blood pressure, and other biological data including their state of motion. This information could then be relayed any distance, even if the patient’s doctor was on the other side of the world, it would still be possible to monitor a patient’s activity and physical condition.

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MEMS may still be an industry with a multitude of diverse products, but it’s also increasingly an industry dominated by a limited number of big suppliers.According to market research firm Yole Developpement, in 2010 the largest four MEMS manufacturers-–Texas Instruments, Hewlett Packard, Robert Bosch and STMicroelectronics—-increased their combined MEMS sales by some  37 percent, to ~$2.9 billion.

© Ritsumeikan Univ. All rights reserved.

http://www.i-micronews.com; www.memscentral.com; www.yoledeveloppement.com; www.wtc-consult.de; www.abdulkalam.com; www.iopscience.iop.org

Acknowledgement: A special thank you to Patrick Roman, Dr. Nezih Pala, Dr. Masoud Milani, Neal Ricks, Phani Kiran Vabbina and the RET Program faculty mentors with funding from NSF.

Introduction

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Pressure SensorsRET Program 2014

Gloria Alonso

MEMS Pressure Sensor Economic Impact

MEMS Pressure Sensor Batch Processing

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensors have changed the way that system designers and application engineers measure pressure. The simplicity of use, small size, low cost and ruggedness allow these sensors to address applications in automobiles and industrial process control as well as medical and handheld portable products. MEMS pressure sensors typically measure the pressure difference across a silicon diaphragm.

Types of Pressure Measurements

Pressure sensors can be classified in terms of the pressure ranges they measure, temperature ranges of operation, and most importantly the type of pressure they measure. Pressure sensors are variously named according to their purpose, but the same technology may be used under different names.a) Gauge pressure sensor: This sensor measures the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. A tire pressure gauge is an example of

gauge pressure measurement; when it indicates zero, then the pressure it is measuring is the same as the ambient pressure.b) Absolute pressure sensor: This sensor measures the pressure relative to perfect vacuum.c) Differential pressure sensor: This sensor measures the difference between two pressures, one connected to each side of the sensor.

Differential pressure sensors are used to measure many properties, such as pressure drops across oil filters or air filters, fluid levels (by comparing the pressure above and below the liquid) or flow rates (by measuring the change in pressure across a restriction).

Figure 1. Gage, absolute and differential pressure measurements have different types of pressure on each side of the diaphragm.

Source: www.allsensors.com

Application of Photoresist

Alignment of wafer with mask UV Light

Exposure

Deposition by Evaporation

Wet Etching

Source: cleanroom.soe.ucsc.edu

www.cymer.com

Source: http://www.tazmo.co.jp

www.essex.ac.uk

Microfabrication Processing

The microfabrication process is usually a structured sequence of three basic processes:1.  LithographyLithography in the MEMS context is the transfer of a pattern to a photosensitive material by selective exposure to a radiation source such as light. When a photosensitive material is selectively exposed to radiation, the radiation pattern on the material is transferred to the material exposed. 2. DepositionDeposition is a key building block in that it is the ability to deposit thin films of material. MEMS deposition technology is classified in two groups:

• Depositions resulting from chemical reactions• Depositions resulting from physical reaction

3. EtchingIn order to form a functional MEMS structure on a substrate it is necessary to etch the thin films previously deposited and/or the substrate itself. In general, there are two classes of etching processes:

• Wet etching• Dry etching

Referenceshttp://www.i-micronews.com; www.memscentral.com; www.yoledeveloppement.com; www.wtc-consult.de;

www.abdulkalam.com; www.iopscience.iop.org; https://technology.ihs.com; http://electroiq.com; http://www.allaboutmems.com; http://www.intechopen.com

Pressure sensors will become the leading micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device by 2014 thanks to their relatively high prices and expanding use in a host of automotive, medical and industrial applications, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS & Sensors Market tracker. Driven by a strong automotive industry recovery after the recession, pressure sensors generated $1.22 billion in revenue in 2010, up 26 percent from 2009, to reach second place in terms of revenue among all MEMS devices. Growth, even though more modest at 6.6 percent in 2011, increased with a double-digit expansion in 2012. By 2014, revenue for MEMS pressure sensors will amount to $1.85 billion.

3-D View of a Pressure Sensor

www.intechopen.com

Acknowledgement: A special thank you to Patrick Roman, Dr. Nezih Pala, Dr. Masoud Milani, Neal Ricks, Phani Kiran Vabbina and the RET Program faculty mentors with funding from NSF.

Figure 2. Pressure sensors in their respective packaging. The elongated side shows the area that will be capturing pressure changes.

Source: panasonic.com

LAB TUESDAYSOn Tuesdays we worked with Dr. N. Pala and his TA’s (Kiran and Ata) in order to acquire the knowledge needed to understand the microfabrication process of a pressure sensor, from starting to finish.

This included the visualization of pressure sensor diagrams to the understanding of each of the steps.

Later, we moved to the clean lab room, in order to practice what was learned in the lecture. We worked with Neal Ricks, which took the time to explain every step in detail.

MORE PICTURES

MORE PICTURES

WEDNESDAY SEMINARSOn Wednesday, we had the opportunity to meet as a group and listen to a seminar or a presentation related the latest research being done not only at FIU Engineering School but also at North Carolina State University (NCU). Some of the presenters were Dr. Nezih Pala, Dr. Sakhrat Khizroev and other faculty members from NCU.

Sakhrat Khizroev, Ph.D. Nezih Pala, Ph.D. 

CURRICULUM FRIDAYSOn Friday, we met as a group in order to share experiences and learn new teaching protocols on how to implement what was learned into our curriculum.

We developed lesson plans that we will be using in the upcoming school year.

WRAP UPThis has been an incredible experience. It has given me the opportunity to open my eyes to the use of technology and to the latest research.

I will certainly be applying what I have learned into my curriculum and I will encourage my students to pursue careers in Engineering which is the profession of today and the future.

I will like to thank Dr. Masoud Milani for taking the time to write a grant that has made it possible for us to be part of this program. Thank you!!