1. CHEMICAL SENSING USING MEMS

2. Micro Electro Mechanical Systems • Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through micro-fabrication technology. • Electronics are fabricated using integrated circuit (IC) process and the micromechanical components are fabricated using compatible micromachining. • Microelectronic integrated circuits can be thought of as the "brains" of a system. courtsey www.memsnet.org

3. Applications • Biotechnology -- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) microsystems for DNA amplification and identification. -- Micromachined Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STMs). -- Biochips for detection of hazardous chemical and biological agents. • Communications -- Improved components (tunable capacitor, inductor) will significantly improve communication system. -- Also total circuit area, power consumption and cost can be reduced. • Accelerometers -- MEMS accelerometers are quickly replacing conventional accelerometers for crash air-bag deployment systems in automobiles. -- MEMS accelerometers are small, more efficient and cheap. courtsey www.memsnet.org

4. Robust Exhaust Gas Sensing System • MEMs based chemical sensor system for monitoring key exhaust species. (NOx, CO, O2 ). • Applications --NOx measurements of diesel engines. -- Jet engine emissions monitoring for NASA. -- U.S. Air Force for performance measurements (thrust and combustion efficiency) in exhaust of vectored jet engines with afterburner. -- Potential application to indoor air quality monitoring in buildings and vehicles http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/successes/ss/3-065text.html

5. MEMS Tongue • The researchers combined MEMS with budding chemical-engineering technologies to create the tongue. • The artificial taste buds are mounted on a silicon chip using MEMS technology, with a CCD imager feeding data to a pattern-recognition learning algorithm. • They used accelerometer MEMS technique to make an array of miniature test tubes, where they can identify substance in real time. • Substance can be identified with tiny detection beads that change color. • Along with that they use CCD camera to track the bead's color, along with pattern-recognition software to reveal the elements of the substance under test based on the color changes in the beads. http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG19981109S0019

6. Helpful for my Research • We are measuring the ambient air during thunderstorm, but the apparatus we using is pretty big. It will be very useful if we have a small apparatus and can put it in a airplane and fly it near the storm. • We also measuring human breath, we get breath samples from different Hospitals. Some times the breath sample are too old and are of no use. So again if we can go there and measure that, and this can be done if apparatus is small.