The Art and Signs of a Few Good
Mechanical Designs in MEMS
G. K. Ananthasuresh
1 Introduction
Mechanical design is a triple helix intertwining geometry, material, and manufacturability. Geometry mostly decides the functionality of a device; materials dominantly
determine the performance; and manufacturability arguably dictates the economic
viability. While this is true of any field, it is particularly relevant where movable
elements are involved. Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) field is unique in
this respect. MEMS devices combine sensing, actuation, processing, control, communication, and power within a minute volume. It is important to note that miniaturized
mechanical elements have made this possible. Some MEMS devices have nearly a
million moving parts that are individually controllable (e.g., tilting mirrors of Digital
Light Processor used in projectors)—a feat unmatched by any engineered mechanical
systems in the macro world.
Mechanical design of MEMS has not been easy because MEMS designs, at the
inception of the field, had to be made using the same unit processes that were available
for making electronic circuits, and using the same materials. This continued along the
same lines while a few more processes and materials were added to the repertoire [1].
Thus, design and fabrication are tightly integrated to achieve the desired functionality
within the constraints. There aren’t many other instances of such integrated systems
other than biological cells and unicellular organisms. It is therefore pertinent to reflect
on the role of mechanical design in MEMS.
When a MEMS researcher was asked to list a few good mechanical designs, the
reply was that commercially successful devices have good designs. Furthermore,
it was noted that great MEMS designs are those that actually made it into useful
products and concurrently diverged from concepts that are routinely used in mesoand macro-sized devices and systems. This is indeed true. Some mechanical designs
G. K. Ananthasuresh (B)
Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
e-mail: suresh@iisc.ac.in
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
U. S. Dixit and S. K. Dwivedy (eds.), Mechanical Sciences,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5712-5_2
29
Mechanical Designs in MEMS
G. K. Ananthasuresh
1 Introduction
Mechanical design is a triple helix intertwining geometry, material, and manufacturability. Geometry mostly decides the functionality of a device; materials dominantly
determine the performance; and manufacturability arguably dictates the economic
viability. While this is true of any field, it is particularly relevant where movable
elements are involved. Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) field is unique in
this respect. MEMS devices combine sensing, actuation, processing, control, communication, and power within a minute volume. It is important to note that miniaturized
mechanical elements have made this possible. Some MEMS devices have nearly a
million moving parts that are individually controllable (e.g., tilting mirrors of Digital
Light Processor used in projectors)—a feat unmatched by any engineered mechanical
systems in the macro world.
Mechanical design of MEMS has not been easy because MEMS designs, at the
inception of the field, had to be made using the same unit processes that were available
for making electronic circuits, and using the same materials. This continued along the
same lines while a few more processes and materials were added to the repertoire [1].
Thus, design and fabrication are tightly integrated to achieve the desired functionality
within the constraints. There aren’t many other instances of such integrated systems
other than biological cells and unicellular organisms. It is therefore pertinent to reflect
on the role of mechanical design in MEMS.
When a MEMS researcher was asked to list a few good mechanical designs, the
reply was that commercially successful devices have good designs. Furthermore,
it was noted that great MEMS designs are those that actually made it into useful
products and concurrently diverged from concepts that are routinely used in mesoand macro-sized devices and systems. This is indeed true. Some mechanical designs
G. K. Ananthasuresh (B)
Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
e-mail: suresh@iisc.ac.in
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
U. S. Dixit and S. K. Dwivedy (eds.), Mechanical Sciences,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5712-5_2
29