MICROSYSTEMS - THE NEW TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

Microsystems technology is actually an extension of the technological revolution produced by microelectronics. Novel design and fabrication philosophies and many innovative technologies were developed which ser ved to guide the outstanding success achieved by microelectronics. A l ogical development was to consider whether the same principles could b e applied to non-electronic problems in mechanics, optics, fluid mecha nics and so on, to achieve comparable improvements. This was the origi nal motivation for microsystems technology. By means of microscale tec hnologies (basically originating from microelectronics), sensors, actu ators and other microdevices can be fabricated with similar functional density, size and costs to microelectronic components. A microsystem results from the combination of 'intelligence' (microelectronics) with 'senses' (sensors) and 'tools' (actuators). This unique combination g reatly extends the possibilities of microelectronics and will influenc e all fields of industry, and even everyday life, considerably.