Porous silicon functionalities for bioMEMS

Abstract

This chapter presents a literature survey of the applications of porous silicon in BioMEMS (biological/biomedical microelectromechanical systems). This material possesses properties particularly suitable for biomedical purposes: biocompatibility, biodegradability, photoluminescence, ability to precisely control the pore size and shape, and possibility to easily modify the surface chemistry. Many applications can, for instance, be found in the fields of sensing and delivery of therapeutics. It is expected that the number of BioMEMS using porous silicon will continue to increase in the future with the development of lab-on-a-chip/ microfluidic devices.