Nanotechnology and Integrated Microsystems
Three decades of pioneering work on integrated circuits at the College of Engineering have matured into the field of microsystems.
This promising new area of research has made it possible to create immensely powerful, computer-driven machines as small as a grain of rice. Together, faculty from materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering and mechanical engineering are forging ahead daily and creating miniscule devices destined to play a key role in transportation, manufacturing, environmental monitoring, defense systems, consumer products, and health care.
Michigan is currently one of the world's top three universities in microsystems research, with a program dating back to 1974. That leadership position was reinforced in 2000 when the College of Engineering became the site, in record time, of a new engineering research center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (WIMS) funded by the National Science Foundation. Among the many research projects currently underway are:
- Implantable, hermetically sealed capsules that can send electrical signals for muscle flexing, heart pace-making, bladder control, and possibly even visual stimulation
- Entire DNA analysis systems built into a single silicon chip which, at a cost of roughly a dollar each, can be used for health care, crime detection and wildlife conservation
- Wireless systems that are 1,100 times smaller than conventional handheld devices, making it possible to embed cellular phones in wristwatches or lapel-pins
- A self-reliant control technology designed to detect and automatically correct problems with onboard computer systems during space flights
- Levitating silicon wafers-known as "flying chips"-with broad applications for environmental monitoring and government surveillance
Michigan Engineers are also actively engaged in the field of nanoscience technology. Scientists working in this realm use materials on the order of 20-100 nanometers in size - approximately 1,000 times smaller than those used in microsystems technology. Research directions include:
- Use of nanopowders as drug delivery platforms capable of entering a single cell without damaging its structure
- Devices capable of rearranging and manipulating single cells, potentially useful in the treatment of atherosclerosis and other disorders
- New types of catalysts for catalytic converters in autos, trucks and stationary power plants
- Invisible, indestructible security taggants for marking items ranging from currency to explosives and aircraft engine parts
- Biosensor devices such as detectors against biological warfare agents of unknown composition
