Microelectromechanical systems

The inexorable drive and increasing proliferation of computing power is creating both the demand and the opportunity for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that provide inputs and outputs to information systems. This demand for MEMS is in both number and diversity. MEMS are being called upon to 'touch' the physical world, most notably: to sense and create motion, velocity, and acceleration; to reflect and refract light and radio-frequency waves; to pump and control fluids, gases, and reaction; and to read/write atomic-scale patterns. MEMS is also joined to information technology through manufacturing. The fabrication engine of semiconductor processing that is driving and being driven by information technology is the foundation for MEMS fabrication.