ABSTRACT
Micromachining, or microelectromechanical system/nanoelectromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS), is emerging as a set of new manufacturing tools to solve specific industrial problems rather than as a monolithic new industry with generic solutions for every manufacturing problem. It is important to evaluate the merit of using one certain MEMS/NEMS technique above all the other available micromanufacturing options [say, lithography-based LIGA* (i.e., nontraditional manufacturing) vs. nonlithography computer numerical control machining (CNC) (i.e., traditional manufacturing)] so as to find the technique that is optimal for the application at hand-in other words, one needs to zero-base the technological approach to the problem.1 For example, micromachinists are often not aware of the capabilities of traditional machining (nonlithography) and use Si micromachining for parts that could have been made better with a more conventional manufacturing technology. By applying the right tool to the machining job at hand, we hope that micromachining will lead to many more successful commercial applications than there are today.
