Micromachinery

Micromachinery comprises mechanical devices and systems built at microscopic or submillimeter scales, often using fabrication techniques developed for microelectronics.

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Microelectromechanical systems: Devices that integrate mechanical elements with electrical components, typically fabricated at micrometer scales. Micromachinery often uses the integrated structures and fabrication methods associated with this broader device class.
MEMS gyroscope: A miniature angular-rate sensor that detects rotation through the motion of vibrating structures. It uses micromachined resonators to measure rotation in phones, vehicles, and navigation systems.
Silicon: A chemical element widely used as a semiconductor and as a structural material in microfabrication. Its processing compatibility with microelectronics made it a common substrate for miniature mechanical structures.
Nanotechnology: The manipulation and application of materials and structures at nanometer scales. Nanotechnology generally concerns smaller length scales than the microscopic and submillimeter devices considered here.
Surface micromachining: A fabrication process that builds miniature mechanical structures from thin films deposited and patterned on a substrate. It creates moving structures above a wafer by stacking and selectively removing material layers.
MEMS accelerometer: A miniature sensor that measures acceleration by detecting the displacement of a suspended proof mass. Its moving proof mass converts acceleration into a measurable mechanical or electrical change.
Photolithography: A pattern-transfer process that uses light to define features in a photosensitive material. It enables precise, repeatable definition of the small features used in micromachined devices.
Molecular machine: A molecule or molecular assembly that performs a controlled mechanical-like function through changes in structure or position. Molecular machines operate through molecular-scale interactions rather than fabricated moving components.
Bulk micromachining: A fabrication process that shapes a substrate by selectively etching away portions of its bulk material. It forms cavities, membranes, and other structures by removing material from the wafer itself.
Digital micromirror device: An array of individually tilting microscopic mirrors used to control light in projection and imaging systems. It shows how arrays of tiny mechanical elements can manipulate light at high speed.