Department of Mechatronics Engineering

Microelectromechanical System (7th Semester)

Assignment 1
1. Give two examples of miniaturization of consumer products that you have observed,
appreciated and explain.
2. Conduct research on your own to find at least one example of application of MEMS in
biomedicine that offers significant advantage over the traditional methods and explain
them.
3. Conduct research on your own to configure an air bag deployment system in an automobile
and explain them.
4. What are most obvious distinctions between microsystem and microelectronics
technologies?
5. Describe the three principal signal transduction methods for micropressure sensors.
6. Explain the different types of chemical sensors.
7. Describe the four popular actuation techniques for micro devices.
8. Explain with neat sketch working of micro linear motor.
9. Explain with neat sketch working of a thermally actuated microvalve.
10. For the comb driven actuator in figure 1 determine the voltage supply required to close the
gripper. The spring constant k is 0.05N/m. The comb drive is operated in Pyrex dielectric
media. The gap d between the electrodes and width W of the electrodes are 1.75m and
6m respectively.

Figure 1
11. Estimate the voltage output for the microthermopile shown in figure 2 if K type wire
materials are used for thermocouples with the hot junction temperature at 145 C while the
cold junction is maintained at 20 C.

Figure 2
12. Describe the principles of electrophoresis and electro-osmosis. Where are these processes
used in MEMS and microsystems?
13. Determine the deflection and maximum stress in a square diaphragm used in a micro
pressure sensor as illustrated in Figure1. The maximum applied pressure is P=78MPa.
The silicon diaphragm has the following properties: E=190GPa and Poissons ratio
=0.25.

Figure 1Micro Pressure Sensor

14. Determine the amplitude and frequency of vibration of a 13mg mass suspended from a
spring with a spring constant k=8x10-5 N/m. the vibration of mass initiated by a small
pull of mass downward by an amount st =6m.

15. A micro actuator made up by a bi-layered strip using oxidized silicon beam is illustrated
in Figure 2. A resistant heating film is deposited on the top of the oxide layer. Estimate
the interfacial force and the movement of the free-end of the strip with a temperature rise,
T=25 C. The properties of Silicon and Silicon dioxide are given in the Table 1.

Figure 2Micro actuator

Material Young`s Modulus Coefficient of thermal

expansion
Silicon 190GPa 2.33x10-6 /C
Silicon dioxide 385GPa 0.5 x10-6 /C

16. Determine the thickness of the beam spring of a force balanced micro accelerometer as shown in
Figure 3, if the maximum allowable deflection of the beam is 16.875 um. The beam which is at
neutral equilibrium position, decelerate from its initial velocity of 50 km/h to a standstill. Youngs
modulus of beam, E = 190 GPa and density = 2.3 gm/cm3.
 Figure 3 Micro-accelerometer

17. A micro-machined silicon valve utilizing electrostatic actuation is constructed as illustrated in

Figure 4. The thin closure plate is used as the valve with a dimension of 300 m wide x 400 m
long x 4 m thick. The plate is bent to open or close by electrostatic actuation to regulate the
hydrogen gas flow. The maximum opening of the closure plate is 12-degree tilt from the horizontal
closed position. Density of the gas is 0.0826 kg/m3.
a. Determine the force induced by the flow of the gas at a velocity of 50 cm/min and a
volumetric rate of 27000 cm3/min.
b. Calculate the split of mass flow over the lower surface of the plate.
c. Calculate the voltage required to close/open the valve.

Figure 4Micro valve