Richard S. Muller (Advisor)

We are developing a handheld bio-chemical sensor using the fast, MEMS-based, phase-shifting interferometer (MBPSI) that we have demonstrated at the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center.

Project end date: 08/12/08

Three aspects of MEMS microneedle technology are developed in this work. First, a new two-wafer polysilicon micromolding process for the fabrication of multifunctional microneedles is developed. Second, microneedle strength is addressed including the investigation of strengthening methods. Lastly, the fluid-flow properties of microneedles are studied analytically and experimentally.

Polysilicon microneedles of smaller size and greater sharpness than stainless steel needles have been fabricated using a two-way polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) micro molding process called...

A novel microactuator technology that combines magnetic thin films with polysilicon flexural structures is described. Micromechanical structures, actuated by an off-chip magnetic field, are constructed in a batch-fabrication process that combines electroplatingwith conventional lithography, materials, and equipment. A microactuator consisting of a 400x(47-40)x7μm^3 rectangular plate of NiFe attached to a 400x(0.9-1.4)x2.25μm^3...

Since the concept of barcode scanning was proposed over forty years ago [I], the use of barcodes and barcode readers have progressed to the point that it is the most common method for automatic item identification. The proliferation of...