ABSTRACT
Over the last 15 years, the MEMS field made the transition out of the laboratory and into the marketplace with a plethora of new products
(https://www.rgrace.com/Papers/). To understand where revenues are derived today, and to appreciate where further growth can be expected, we begin with definitions of MEMS, microsystems technology (MST), mechatronics, miniature sensors and actuators, and microstructures or microcomponents. These terms are familiar to micromachinists but are often confused in marketing reports. We also adapt a sensor/actuator classification option. An evaluation of MEMS applications using these definitions and the proposed classification method in a study explicitly describing the manufacturing method used for projected new products (e.g., CNC machined or fabricated using LIGA) might be of greater use than market studies that are vague about what the term
microfabricated products
comprises. Companies and research organizations interested in entering the field might at least be able to decide, based on the underlying study, if they have the manufacturing expertise or know-how to make them possible contenders. A decision tree for selecting a substrate and a
miniaturization option is detailed next, and an overview of the market for micromachinery, distilled from a variety of surveys, follows.
