Abstract

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology has enabled a plethora of sensor applications driven by power, cost and size considerations, as well as the potential for integration with CMOS electronics. In this talk, I will look at methods to exploit mechanical gain at the microscale to enhance the resolution of integrated MEMS sensors. Our group has demonstrated MEMS -based sensors for the measurement of a variety of physical and chemical parameters at higher resolution than what is achievable with many other sensor technologies. In particular, by leveraging mechanicalgain at the microscale it is possible to detect forces on the order of tens of femtonewtons, displacements of well under a picometre and charges of under 10 electrons per rt-Hz at room temperature and ambient pressure. These sensors have enabled the development of complex microsystems with applications as disparate as inertial navigation, biosensing and miniaturised mass spectrometry.