Course Description:
ENEE605 is a multidisciplinary graduate course ideal for incoming first/second year graduate students (and senior undergrads) that covers fundamental design and fabrication aspects of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). For the past 10 years the course has focused on applications related to the monitoring or treatment of human health issues, and will continue this year by addressing health grand challenges. Students will be introduced to miniaturized sensors and actuators through a combination of lectures, literature/case studies, homework assignments, and a semester-long group design project. Classic MEMS examples such as accelerometers for crash detection in vehicles, pressure sensors for implantable medical devices, arrays of miniature mirrors for projection displays, and systems for biochemical detection will be reviewed. Through a group project, students will apply and expand their knowledge by designing a novel microsystem for implementation in the human body. This field is only recently being discovered for engineering solutions – examples of existing devices include ingestible capsules with cameras for video endoscopy, fluorescent sensors for monitoring gastrointestinal bleeding, or thermally-actuated microgrippers for tissue biopsy. At the end of the course, the students will have gained an understanding of the benefits of MEMS devices, of common design and fabrication methods, and of opportunities in applying technological solutions to fields outside their main area of expertise.