The integration of transistors in Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits has led to the computer, information and internet revolutions in the last few decades of the 20th century. Recently, the integration of such microelectronics with micro-mechanics has resulted in MicroElectro- Mechanical Systems (MEMS), which are enabling a revolution in distributed sensing. Many research questions arise both from the small scale of MEMS and from the close coupling of multiple mechanisms within them. During the last decade, MEMS have become a multi-billion dollar annual industry. The field now urgently needs skilled professionals to design, simulate, analyze, fabricate, test and use MEMS in the transportation, communication, analytical and medical industries, among others. Together with colleagues in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department (Profs. Zaghloul, Korman and Nagel) , Profs. Mavriplis and Shen perform research and advise graduate students in the interdisciplinary area of MEMS.

Objectives. The Institute for MEMS and VLSI Technologies at The George Washington University performs and publishes leading interdisciplinary research on the development and applications of MEMS, and provides first-rate education on the fundamentals, details and uses of MEMS and VLSI technologies.

Subject Areas: The areas of emphasis within the Institute include design, analysis, simulation and fabrication (Zaghloul and Mavriplis), testing (Korman), metrology (Shen) and applications (Nagel).