What’s MEMS ?

MEMS devices are very small mechanical components that are electronically driven. They contain moving parts which are typically between 1 and 100 micrometers in size. A variety of materials can be used but most commonly the devices are made of silicon. This is then patterned and etched using similar technology to that developed for the microelectronics industry. In contrast to conventional machining processes, such as drilling and milling, the highly precise semiconductor process can produce reliable devices, in large volumes at very low cost.
MEMS technology was originally developed in the late 1980’s and can be found in a wide range of commonly used products. MEMS is widely used in flow sensors and for the accelerometers used in automobile airbags and TV games that detect motion. Miniature microphones used in PCs and mobile phones are also made using MEMS.