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Progressive Cellular Architecture for Microfabricated Gas Chromatograph
7138 – Measurement of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds using gas chromatography (GC) has important applications for a large variety of field- and clinically-related analyses. These include applications in the pharmaceutical industry for drug testing, as well as chemical and petrochemical industries for process monitoring. While GC allows for the identification of molecular species and... Read More
High-Performance Resonators for Gyroscopes
6761 – Maximizing quality (Q) factor, ability of system to keep energy, is key to enhancing the performance of mechanical resonators. To maximize Q-factor of a resonator, its dissipation mechanisms should be carefully investigated and reduced. Most phenomena, which increase energy dissipation in a resonator, can be reduced by a proper choice of resonator’s material. However, anchor loss, which is... Read More
Mold for Making Highly Symmetric Three Dimensional Microstructures
7175 – This technology offers improvements to the creation of axisymmetric microstructures that are well-suited for use as a resonator in vibratory gyroscopes. Gyroscopes measure angular motion and they are a vital component in internal measurement units, which monitor and guide the motion of aircrafts and unmanned vehicles. Miniaturization of devices and the use of microelectromechanical systems,... Read More
Scalable Fabrication of Multidimensional Nanopatterns via Sequential Combination of Continuous One-Dimensional Nanopatterning Strokes
6790 – Two-dimensional (2D) nanopatterning has seen momentum over the past decade in various thin-film applications (such as antireflection coatings, bioengineering templates, plasmonic surfaces, and photovoltaics). 2D nanostructures can currently be made using various techniques but the major hurdle for widespread adoption is scalability. The disclosed technology offers a solution to the... Read More
Modular Stacked Variable-Compression Micropump
6718 – A modular stacked variable-compression micropump has been developed at the University of Michigan. Gas micropumps are used in numerous applications such as health monitoring instruments, gas chromatographs and homeland security systems. However, despite technology advances, micropumps have not been able to replace meso-scale pumps due to their need for large area or high force actuators, lack... Read More
Thermoelectric Module for Energy Generation and Cooling Applications
6650 – A highly efficient small-scale thermoelectric module for both energy generation and cooling applications has been developed at the University of Michigan. Current thermoelectric devices are inefficient—with efficiencies of around 6% at best. Even though thermoelectric materials have advanced significantly in recent years, challenges preclude their use in high performance devices.... Read More
Low-Noise Large Dynamic Range Multi-Axis Accelerometers Made From Thick Silicon
6986 – Capacitive accelerometers and inertial measurement units are used in a wide range of applications such as smart phones and tablets, aerospace navigation, and industrial testing and measurement. By 2019, the revenue for microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers and gyroscopes is expected to reach $5 billion, and miniaturization is the critical product feature [1]. Several device... Read More
Three-Dimensional Rate-Integrating Gyroscope and Fabrication Process
6997 – Gyroscopes are sensors that measure the rate of rotation and angular orientation of an object. Advances in micro electromechanical system (MEMS) allow MEMS gyroscope manufacturing at low cost with sufficient accuracy. MEMS gyroscopes are used in portable electronics such as smart phones as well as in the stabilization of cameras, factory machines, and cars. Navigational systems, e.g., in... Read More
Assembly Processes for Three-Dimensional Microstructures
6985 – High-performance Micro Electromechanical System (MEMS) sensors and actuators have been commercialized in a variety of applications including motion sensing, wireless communication, energy harvesting, and healthcare. Micro assembly processes are often employed for creating micro sensors and actuators, and they can create more complex micro devices than single-piece, or monolithic, fabrication... Read More
Silicon Micromachined High Flow Gas Pump
6502 – The creation of new MEMs devices including sensors and lab-on-a-chips are becoming more reliant on microscale systems which provide better efficiency, cost effectiveness, portability and in some cases accuracy. One important component of many microscale devices are efficient micropumps which can pump fluids or gases through a system or create vacuum environments. Micropumps are important in... Read More
MRI Compatible Piezoelectric MEMS Energy Harvester with Tip Mass for Leadless Pacemaker for Heartbeat Vibrations
6782 – Energy harvesting devices and their unique ability to convert the ambient energy into electrical energy has attracted much interest in industrial and manufacturing sectors. Vibration is one of the common sources in energy harvesting and a widely used method of converting vibration into the electricity is by using the piezoelectric materials. One important application of such piezoelectric... Read More
Actuation and Sensing Platform for Sensor Calibration and Vibration Isolation
6571 – A micro-platform with integrated multi-axis actuation and position sensing capabilities for in-situ calibration of long-term scale-factor drifts in the output signals of micromachined inertial measurement units, has been developed at the University of Michigan. The use of micromachined inertial measurement units, such as MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes, in high accuracy strategic and... Read More
Multi-Axis Piezoelectric Transducer
6534 – A piezoelectric transducer that can harvest electricity from mechanical energy along all three vibrational axes with high-energy transduction efficiency has been developed at the University of Michigan. Most extant micro- and meso-scale inertial energy harvesters operate along a single vibrational axis. However, the ability to harvest electrical energy from vibrations applied along any... Read More
Three Dimensional Microstructures and Fabrication Process of Micro-scale Navigation Grade Rate Integrating Gyroscope for GPS-free Guidance
6500 – Recent advances in micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technologies resulted in the successful commercialization of high-performance sensors and actuators in a variety of areas such as motion sensing, wireless communication, energy harvesting, and healthcare. The performance of most MEMS sensors and actuators are limited by materials along with their structures and because of their low... Read More
Mechanical Amplifier for Energy Transducer Devices
5960 – Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a mechanical amplifier that amplifies the displacement amplitude or generated force of an energy transducer system. The amplifier is targeted towards applications such as vibration-energy harvesters and electromechanical sensors and actuators, and can be integrated with a variety of transducers types such as electromagnetic,... Read More
Electromagnetic Energy Transducer for Energy Harvesting or Mechanical Actuation
5959 – Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an electromagnetic transducer for converting kinetic energy to electrical energy, or electrical energy to mechanical displacement. The transducer is targeted towards operation under harsh conditions such as high centrifugal acceleration, high axial and radial static displacements, and tilting movements. The transducer can be embedded in... Read More
Reconfigurable Mesh Filters for Broadband Terahertz/Infrared Wave Modulation
5731 – A research team at the University of Michigan has developed a terahertz (THz) modulator that exhibits broadband, high amplitude modulation index. The use of THz technologies in many industries including semiconductor metrology, food quality processing, homeland security, medical imaging and communications, has led to staggering growth in the field in the last decade. Efficient light sources... Read More
Surface Charge-Assisted Printing of Atomically Layered Materials and Functional Devices
5716 – A Researcher from the University of Michigan Mechanical Engineering Department has developed a technology that enables mass production of devices with atomically layered materials. The technology uses surface charge to assist in the printing of complex atomically layered patterns. These atomically layered materials include graphene and MoS2, which are emerging as key materials in a range of... Read More
Energy Harvesting for Medical Devices
5599 – According to the World Health Organization, Cardiovascular diseases were the major cause of death for over 17 million people worldwide in 2008. Of the total number of implantable cardiac pacemakers, 64% of the devices are implanted in the US and Western Europe. With a large and aging population the incidence rates and implant rates continue to grow. These implanted pacemakers operate on... Read More
MEMS Electrostatic Micro-Hydraulic Systems for Sensing and Actuation
5564 – Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed micro-hydraulic structures for high performance sensing and actuation. Hydraulic or pneumatic structures are extensively used in systems where amplification of force, or deflection, is needed. Operation of such systems is based on uniform distribution of pressure over an incompressible liquid filling two connected chambers. And... Read More
Three-Dimensional MEMS Sensors and Actuators and Microsystems
5563 – Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed hair-like sensors targeted towards MEMS sensor, actuator, and microsystem applications. Through a combination of mechanical sensing, local chemo-electric transduction, and sophisticated signal processing, biological hair sensors provide unique capabilities such as sensitivity and response that are unmatched by other sensor structures. ... Read More
Passive wireless strain sensor
5829 – Passive wireless strain sensors Miniature magnetoelastic strain gauges that do not require an external power source can be used to measure bone deformation in medical and dental implants, and to attach to bridges or large buildings to monitor potential structural deformation. When such a device is stretched, structural rearrangements occur within the material and changes its elasticity and... Read More
Scalable high performance magnetoelastic tags for electronic article surveillance
5924 – An electrical engineering research team has developed a discrete and low-cost magnetoelastic-tagging platform with a footprint 100 times smaller than conventional tags. Magnetoelastic tags are ubiquitously used in electronic article surveillance (EAS) where they offer low-cost, reliability and ease-of-use for inhibiting retail thefts. Developing smaller form factors to enable their use in... Read More
Angle-Insensitive Spectrum Filters
5692 – Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed angle insensitive spectrum filters for display and imaging systems. Color filters based on photonic and plasmonic crystal based structures have been proposed as replacements for colorant-based pigmentation display technologies. Nanostructure-based color filtering offers increased efficiencies, lower power consumptions, slimmer... Read More
An Integrated Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printhead for Flexible Micro/Nano-Manufacturing
5572 – Researchers from the University of Michigan Mechanical Engineering Department have developed a technology that allows electrohydrodynamic ink jet printers to print on a wider range of surfaces with better droplet control. The technology enables the printing on both conductive and non-conductive surfaces, as well as those with irregularities and non-planar sections, which is important for... Read More
Methods and Devices for Generating High-Amplitude and High-Frequency Focused Ultrasound With Light-Asorbing Materials
5233 – Obtaining high-frequency ultrasound waves while maintaining strong pressure amplitudes at focal spots is a major challenge in the field of ultrasounic transducers. Conventional ultrasound transducers such as those based on piezoelectric technologies are often used to generate high-amplitude waves. However, conventional transducers have low operation frequencies (<5 MHz), and large... Read More
TCF Compensated Micromechanical Resonators
5202 – The MEMS (microelectromechanical system) technology is an emerging and rapidly developed technology in the past decade. With the progress of MEMS technologies, several types of micro-scale mechanical structures can be fabricated on silicon wafers, which have been proven stable, reliable and ready for commercial use. Particularly the silicon MEMS resonators (oscillators), which are... Read More
Flexible, Miniaturized Neural Probe Coated with Biodegradable Polymer as Insertion Guide
5054 – Implantable neural probes are becoming widely used for the treatment of many conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and depression. However, chronic neural recordings have long been challenged by the inevitable degradation of signal quality over time. This is due in part to the formation of immune response-triggered glial scars, which can extinguish the functionality of the implanted... Read More
Hybrid Nanostructure Arrays
3961 – Energy harvesting and storing techniques are sought after in many applications where long-term, remote, and self-powered operation are required. These mechanisms are often integrated in small devices such as sensors, electronics, and radiofrequency devices. In this regard, nanostructures including carbon nanotubes, metal and oxide nanowires, and superlattice and branched heterostructures,... Read More
Carbon Nanotubes for Microanalytical Systems
2390 – Gas chromatography (GC) systems are chemical instruments by which the components of a gaseous mixture can be separated, identified, and the constituent concentrations quantified. Conventional GC systems are large and relatively expensive table-top instruments. Central to the miniaturization of GC systems is microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, especially for the development... Read More
Micro Gas Chromatograph
2344 – Gas chromatography systems (GC) are chemical instruments that enable the separation of a gaseous mixture. GC have applications beyond the traditional analytical lab and are commonly used in other industries such as food quality monitoring and environmental monitoring. Conventional GC systems are fragile and bulky and have limited their application in other fields. The prospect of a... Read More