Trends in MEMS technology

Interest in MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) has grown dramatically in the last decade because of a wide range of applications. These include the automotive industry, process control and automation, scientific and medical instrumentation, telecommunication, commodity products, environmental monitoring, etc. As a result, MEMS technology has become one of the most rapidly changing fields today. This paper reviews basic aspects of current MEMS technology focusing on bulk micromachining, surface micromachining, wafer bonding, and MEMS packaging, including the examples of devices made in the specific technologies. Also, some comments on future integrated MEMS are included.