Microtransducer operation

Abstract

Rooted in mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering and relying on physical insight, biological techniques, and materials science know-how, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) engineering is a fundamentally interdisciplinary field. Its fascinating diversity often forces the research and development engineer to take into account a broader range of issues than in many classical, well-established technical disciplines. Simultaneously, the diversity creates the impression of a lack of unity, contrasting strongly with the classical disciplines of science and engineering. These are usually able to offer a core of thoughts stripped of unnecessary details, with well-established foundations and lines of thought, and representations accepted by the majority of researchers active in the field. More peripheral aspects of the disciplines can be built up from a solid basis of knowledge. © 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.