ABSTRACT
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To piece together a book on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-
structures for aerospace applications is perhaps foolhardy as we are still in the
infancy of micron-scale machines in space flight. To move from the infancy of a
technology to maturity takes years and many awkward periods. For example, we did
not truly attain the age of flight until the late 1940s, when flying became accessible to
many individuals. The insertion or adoption period, from the infancy of flight, began
with the Wright Brothers in 1903 and took more than 50 years until it was popularized.
Similarly, the birth of MEMS began in 1969 with a resonant gate field-effect transistor
designed by Westinghouse. During the next decade, manufacturers began using bulk-
etched silicon wafers to produce pressure sensors, and experimentation continued into
the early 1980s to create surface-micromachined polysilicon actuators that were used in
disc drive heads. By the late 1980s, the potential of MEMS devices was embraced, and
widespread design and implementation grew in the microelectronics and biomedical
industries. In 25 years, MEMS moved from the technical curiosity realm to the
commercial potential world. In the 1990s, the U.S. Government and relevant agencies
had large-scale MEMS support and projects underway. The Air Force Office of
Scientific Research (AFOSR) was supporting basic research in materials while the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated its foundry service in
1993. Additionally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) began
supporting commercial foundries.
