ECE/ME/IE 485

Fall 2010

HW#1

1. Locate the following MEMS-specific journals and conference proceedings in the

Illinois online electronic library: (1) Sensors and Actuators (S&A); (2) Proceedings of
IEEE Annual International Workshop on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (the name
was changed to IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems in
2002); (3) IEEE/ASME Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems; and (4) Journal of
Micromechanics and Microengineering, and (5) IEEE Sensors Journal. Papers from
these journals and proceedings are important for readers to gain further breadth and depth
of knowledge in the MEMS area beyond the coverage of the textbook. Identify one
particular area of MEMS application of interest to you and then identify three papers
from these journals (a total of three papers, selected from the five sources). The papers
must come from three different sources. Of the three papers, the dates of publication
should span at least five years. Write a brief description (a sentence or two) for each of
the three papers chosen. Use the common reference citation format to identify the
articles that you pick: authors, "title in quotes", Journal Name in Italics, issue/volume
number, page number, year.

2. Study example 1.1 and solve problem 1.18 (Liu textbook)

3. Read the 1959 article “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom” by Richard Feynman
(http://www.its.caltech.edu/%7Efeynman/plenty.html). Select any one of the ideas that
he proposed, and briefly (1-2 paragraphs) describe the state of research or products for
that idea today.

4. Identify 5 different methods to produce a mechanical force output and identify their
energy transduction paths. Both engineered and biological actuators can be cited. Try to
involve as many energy domains as possible. For example: Voltage can be applied to an
electrostatic actuator to create a mechanical output. Electrical  Mechanical