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> MICROSYSTEMS
> PHOTONICS
> REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS
> NANOMATERIALS
Microsystems
Microsystems integrate functions such as sensing, actuating and
computing into a micron scale device (system) at an enhanced level
of perception, control and performance. Microsystems merge microprocessors
with tiny sensors, probes, lasers/optics, machines, actuators, radiators
and, in some cases, power supplies to allow the device to sense,
analyze, decide, act and communicate with the rest of the world.
Microsystems enable closed-loop micro scale control of electrical,
thermal, fluid, magnetic, mechanical, chemical, biological and optical
properties. They are fabricated using integrated circuit (IC) and
micro-machining processing techniques. The interdisciplinary nature
of Microsystems utilizes design, engineering and manufacturing expertise
from a wide and diverse range of technical areas including semiconductors,
fabrication technology, mechanical engineering, materials science,
electrical engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering, as well
as fluid engineering, photonics and optics, instrumentation and
packaging. It is an enabling technology that will add functionality
and reduce cost in many product applications, particularly in the
Information Technology areas of telecommunications, imaging, remote
sensing, electronics and biomedical diagnostics and treatment. Top
Photonics
Photonics is the technology of generating and harnessing light and
other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon.
The science examines different properties of light emission, transmission,
deflection, amplification and detection. One area of interest is
Integrated Optics. It involves using sources of light, such as lasers,
and carriers, such as fiber optic cables in conjunction with devices
for directing and amplifying light, such as optics, and capturing,
focusing and filtering light, such as sensors and detectors, in
order to capture, manage, and manipulate the information associated
with the light or radiant energy. The range of applications for
photonics extends from energy generation and detection to communications
and information processing. The exciting and fast-growing area of
research in optoelectronic devices and micro-optical elements such
as photonic crystals, photonic band-gap structures, band gap Lasers,
microcavity, 2-Photon 3-D devices, OLED and others are leveraging
the advancement in microfabrication, compound semiconductors processing
and nanomaterials. Top
Remote Sensing Systems
Integrated remote sensing systems are specialized information technology
systems that capture, process, store, and communicate remotely sensed
data. These systems manipulate data in situations that can be dangerous,
or difficult to access with traditional methods. Examples of these
include hazardous environments, power plants, outer space, under
water, inside biological systems such as the human body, and other
mechanical or chemical systems. Remote sensing uses instruments
and sensors to view the spectral and spatial relations of observable
objects, environments and materials at a distance. Such sensor systems,
benefiting from advancement in microfabrication and nanomaterials
development, need to be very small, very smart, producible, reliable
and inexpensive. Expendable sensor-based microsystems will be equipped
with re-configurable radiometers, acoustic sensors, magnetic, radiological
and biological sensors integrated with data logging, micro power
supplies, and RF transmission components. These systems are capable
of measuring and transmitting real time data, augmented with high
performance hyperspectral remote sensing instruments, which together
will provide higher quality information over a wide range of environmental
conditions. Top
Nano Materials Science
Nanoparticles and nanomaterials possess radically different phenomena
and behaviors, as compared to their larger scale counterparts. Such
mechanisms include quantum effects, statistical time variations
of properties and their scaling with structure size, dominant surface
interactions and absence of defects in the nanocrystals. These nanoparticles
and nanomaterials have unique mechanical, electronic, magnetic,
optical, and chemical properties, opening the door to enormous new
possibilities of engineered nanostructures and integrated nanodevice
designs, with unimaginable application opportunities in information
and communications, biotechnology and medicine, photonics and electronics
technology, and security. Examples include developments in very
high-density data storage, molecular electronics, quantum dots and
spintronics. Mono-atomic or molecular units, with their well-known
subatomic structure, offer the ultimate building blocks for a bottom-up,
atom-by-atom synthesis and, in some cases, self-assembly manufacturing.
Advanced nanostructured materials such as high purity single wall
carbon nano tubes (SWCNTs) are being consider for high-efficiency
fuel cells, integrated micropower source, thermo management for
microelectronics, and flat panel displays. Top
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