ABSTRACT
This chapter starts with a high-level view of technological advances in general to the more specific subject of infusion of biotechnology into medical applications. In particular, the drive to miniaturize sensors and actuators has led to the use of photolithographic process to create ultra-miniaturized mechanical components, which is the field of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). MEMS is identified as one of the most crucial enabling technologies to modernize medicine, offering significant miniaturization, cost reduction, and performance enhancement to a broad range of clinical tools and practices. Photolithographically-based bulk micromachining, surface micromachining, wafer bonding, integration, and soft lithography are described to illustrate the fundamental MEMS processes. The chapter concludes with two main examples of MEMS in medicine: micro-implants and lab-on-a-chip.
