Microtechnology and microsystems in measurement applications

Microtechnology has made inroads into metrology. MEMS structures in thermal RMS-to-DC conversion are at a mature stage. Many more applications are in their infancy and require more basic and applied research. Next to metrology, these may open doors to the higher performance instruments. A characteristic of MEMS is the reproducibility of the structure, which is important in metrology. Standard microelectronic processing and low-cost batch fabrication, which are often the main driving force in other applications areas, are less important in metrology because of the modest production volumes. Compatibility becomes an important issue when one tries to implement a reference element in a microsystem.