Gary Fedder

As information systems have evolved from isolated computational engines to distributed networks, the autonomous ability to gather and act on information is becoming increasingly important. My research is in the interdisciplinary area of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS): sensor and actuator systems with performance derived from integration of electronics and mechanical structures with features measured in microns to millimeters. Fabrication of the batch-fabricated electromechanical devices and the development of related processes leverage the enormous investment in mature Very-Large-Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuit manufacturing. Benefits of this approach include much lower manufacturing cost, greater miniaturization, greater integration, and in many cases higher performance than can be achieved with conventional methods used to build systems requiring sensors and actuators.
My research focus on integrated MEMS links to a long-term trend to the manufacture of low-cost sensor-and-actuator Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). Integrated MEMS technology is becoming pervasive in embedded systems and is continually evolving to be relevant in new applications. A core general direction in my research group is design, fabrication, and testing of microdevices that are made through integration with conventional foundry CMOS processes, which enable on-chip electrostatically actuated microstructures, capacitive and piezoresistive sensors, and polysilicon thermal heaters. Active projects include MEMS system modeling and design methodologies, accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion sensing, an electrothermal microcooler system, ultra-compliant neural probes, piezoelectric energy scavenging for implantable pressure sensors, nonlinear parametric microresonators, and self-healing RF microresonator oscillators and filters. Challenges include system design, process integration, and physical modeling including environmental effects.