This edition of 'Reliability of MEMS' was originally published in the successful series 'Advanced Micro & Nanosystems'. Here, one of the most important hurdles to commercialization for microelectromechanical systems is covered in detail: the reliability of MEMS materials and devices. Due to their microscale size combined with novel functionalities, a whole new category of challenges arises, and proper determination of a given device's reliability is instrumental in determining its range of usability and application fields. Any kind of gadget's performance, lifetime and safety will depend on the continued and predictable functioning of both the electronic as well as the micromechanical parts. MEMS reliability therefore can be as serious as human life-and-death matters - quite literally in the case of roll-over sensors for cars, for example.
About the Author
Osamu Tabata is Professor in the Department of Microengineering at Kyoto University. He received his MSc and PhD degrees from Nagoya Institute of Technology. From 1981 to 1996, he performed industrial research at Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories in Aichi, Japan. He joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Ritsumeikan University in Shiga, Japan, in 1996, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kyoto University in 2003. Osamu Tabata is engaged in the research of micro/nano processes, MEMS and micro/nano system synthetic engineering. He received numerous awards, including the Science News Award and the Research & Development Top 100 Award in 1993 and 1998.
Toshiyuki Tsuchiya is Assistant Professor in the Department of Microengineering at Kyoto University. He received his PhD from Nagoya University, Japan, in 2002. From 1993 to 2004, he carried out industrial research at Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories in Aichi, Japan. In 2004, he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Kyoto University. Toshiyuki Tsuchiya's current research is focused on mechanical properties evaluation of micro/nano materials and MEMS and micro/nano system synthetic engineering.
