MICROJOINERY - CONCEPT, DEFINITION, AND APPLICATION TO MICROSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

A new hybrid technology for fabricating, interconnecting, and assembli ng microdevices is introduced. This new technology is predicated on th e creation of dimensionally scaled manufacturing and assembly techniqu es and has been coined 'MicroJoinery' as a descriptive designation. Mi croJoinery, along with its collected 'toolbox' of associated microfabr ication techniques, allows for the facile realization of a widely dive rgent collection of microsystem components including: fluidic microval ves, microfluidic interconnects, microreaction chambers, xyz positioni ng microstages, fiber-optic switches, etc. Additionally, MicroJoinery provides a new paradigm for design and practical assembly of microsyst ems. This paper explores the applications of MicroJoinery by presentin g several examples of microdevices and microsystems tractable through MicroJoinery. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights r eserved.