Host Organization

Simon Fraser University

Supporting Organizations

Alberta Microelectronics CentreBritish Columbia
Ministry of Employment & Investment
Canadian Microelectonics Corporation
National Research Council of Canada
Western Clinical Engineering Limited

The Micromachine Summits are international forums that actively consider and inter-change ideas about the impact on industry, society, and the environment of the field including microerectromechanical systems (MEMS) or Microsystem Technology (MST). Thirteen country/regions in the world that are active in this field of research and production send delegates to the Summit to promote dialogue and idea interchange.

Monday April 28

6-8pm Welcoming Reception

Westin Bayshore Hotel

Marine Room

Tuesday April 29

All meeting sessions will be held in the Ballroom

Wednesday, April 30

Australia

• Prof. Ian Bates
  Assoc. Dean, R&D
  Royal Melborne Institute of Technology
• Mr. Michael J. Dalling,
  Managing Director
  Strategic Industry Research Foundation
• Dr. Michael J. Murray
  Chief of Materials, Science and Technology CSIRO
• Prof. Dinesh Sood, Researcher
  Royal Melbone Institute of Technology

Benelux

• Dr. Albert van den Berg
  Dept. of Electrical Engineering
  MESA Research Institute, University of Twente
• Dr. Job Elders
  Dept. of Electrical Engineering
  Twente MicroProducts, University of Twente

Canada

• Mr. Gordon Guild
  President MTC Micromachining Technology Centre
  Simon Fraser University
• Mr. Dan Gale
  Vice President & Dir of Strategic Planning
  Canadian Microelectronics Corporation
• Dr. D. Jed Harrison
  Professor Department of Chemistry,
  University of Alberta
• Mr. Chris Lumb
  President and CEO, Alberta Microelectronic Centre
• Dr. M. (Ash) Parameswaran,
  Director Institute of Micromachine & Microfabrication Research,
  Simon Fraser University

China

• Prof. Zhaoying Zhou
  Chairman Department of Precision Instruments & Mechanology,
• Mr. Zu-wu Yun
  China Yuanwang (Group) Co.
• Prof. Wenalong Zhang
  Dept. of Instruments & Measurement Tech.
  North China Institute of Technology

France

• Mr. Daniel Hauden
  Director LPMO-CNRS
• Mr. Daniel Esteve
  Head Microstructure Department, LAAS-CNRS
• Mr. Michel Froelicher
  General Director CETEHOR

Germany

• Dr. Wolfgang Menz
  lnstitut fuer Mikrosystemtechnik Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg Universitaetsgelaande
• Mr. Hartmut Blum
  Jenoptik Mikrotechnik
  GmbH Germany
• Mr. Patric Salomon
  VDI/VDE-IT GmbH
• Dr. Reiner Wechsung
  MicroParts GmbH

Italy

• Prof. Paolo Dario
  ARTS Lab, Scuola Superiore
• Dr. Franco Mori
  Electronic Division,
• Dr. Francesco Simonelli
  Gefran Sensori s.r.l.
• Dr. Mario Zen
  ITCflRST Istituto per la Ricerca Scientificae

Japan

• Prof. Naomasa Nakajima, Professor
  Div. of Engineering, Graduate School University of Tokyo
• Mr. Takayuki Hirano
  Executive Director Micromachine Center
• Dr. Tsuneo Ishimaru
  Chairman Denso Corporation
• Dr. Sadao Moritomo
  Executive Vice President, Seiko Instrumments, Inc.
• Dr. Toshiro Shimoyama
  Chairman & CEO, Olympus Optical Co. Ltd.

Scandinavia

• Dr. Ingemar Lundstrom
  IFM - Linkopings Universitet
• Dr. Gunnar Edwall
  Ericsson Components AB/FORC
• Mr. Dag Sigurd
  IMC

Switzerland

• Prof. Nice de Rooij
  Institute of Microtechnology
  University of Neuchatel
• Mr. Philippe Fischer
  FSRM, Swiss Foundation of
  Research in Microtechnology
• Dr. Volker Gass
  Mecanex SA Z.I. Nord
• Prof. Rene P. Salathe
  Dept. of Microtechnology
  Swiss Federal Insitute of Technology Lausanne
  ME Ecublens

Taiwan

• Dr. Min-Shyong Lin
  Executive Vice Presiden
  Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Mr. Yao Chang
  Associate Research Scientist, Synchotron Radiation Research Centre
• Prof. Star Ruey-Shing Huang
  Department of Electrical Engineering National Tsing Hua University
• Prof. Jin-Shown Shie
  Institute of Electro-Optics National Chiao Tung University

United Kingdom

• Prof. Howard Dorey
  Dept. of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Imperial College
• Prof. Geoff Beardmore
  Smiths Industries Aerospace & Defence Systems Ltd.
• Dr. Erol Harvey
  Senior Development Engineer Exitech Ltd.
• Prof. Ron Lawes
  Appleton Laboratory Central Microstructure Facility, CLRC
• Dr. Michael Ward
  Business Manager,
  Sensor Defence Research Agency

United States of America

• Dr. Richard Muller, Professor
  Dept. of EECS, University of California
• Mr. David S. Eddy
  Research & Development Center
  General Motors
• Dr. G. Benjamin Hocker
  Honeywell Technology Center
• Dr. Richard S. Payne
  Analog Devices Inc.
• Mr. Jack Shaw
  Chief Engineer of Technology Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group

  The Summit started with the country/region reviews, followed by presentations and discussions on six topics. An experimental feature, the open question and answer period opened the Summit to a wider range of issues.

  Topics were explored and advances were made in defining and understanding the issues, to say that conclusions were reached would be a bit presumptuous. Given that caveat, the results of the Summit discussions were:

COUNTRY/REGION REVIEWS

  Circumstances differ markedly from region to region, in industrial activity, government support and public perception, however each country/region is dealing with some common problems. Micromachining is in a stage of rapid advancement and this means knowledge must be diffused throughout industry at a comparable pace, or bottlenecks and frustration are inevitable. General public attitudes towards science & technology, as well as micromachining in particular, are important factors in the development of micromachined products and the micromachining industry in each society. Therefore, the issue of diffusion of knowledge about micromachining applies to the whole society.

  SME's continue to lead the way in most countries/regions, and finding ways to start and expand production of micromachined devices at a cost SME's can cope with, is a subject of much attention. Advances in packaging, testing and standardization are seen as key to continued expansion.

  The needs of the medical, environmental and auto industries are driving development of microsystem technology in most countries/regions.

STANDARDIZATION

  There is general agreement on the need for standardization at an early stage, but the scope and appropriate mechanism are still matters for debate. Many delegates consider standardization an important issue for an international forum dedicated to the advancement of micromachining, however the subject requires much more time than can possibly be allotted at the Summits. Therefore, delegates were asked to consider attending a separate meeting on standardization. This new working group is expected to be formed over the next few months, and will report on its progress at future Summits.

HEALTHCARE

  Medical diagnosis and treatment remains one of the most fruitful areas for application of micromachine technology. Long term major trends such as the shifts to non-invasive diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery, greater home care, and in situ testing at the bedside or in the field with a paramedic unit, all bode well for increased use of micromachined components. Delegates were advised that close cooperation with medical doctors, and strict attention to the customers needs are essential in a market characterized by short product life cycles. Issues such as bio-compatibility and reliability are particularly important in healthcare products.

ENVIRONMENT

  Monitoring the indoor environment of our homes, to a global monitoring system, the field is immense. On line sensors coupled to feedback control will be used to increase our comfort, safety and protection in the home and in public buildings. Large markets exist to monitor water and air quality driven both by industry's need to meet regulations, and their desire to improve process control, minimizing use of energy and raw materials. Many environmental issues are global in nature, such as carbon loading of the atmosphere.

  Effects are difficult to predict, causes difficult to determine, a global monitoring system may be necessary to collect sufficient information. Micromachined sensors are a practical way to minimize cost, use of energy, use of materials, and waste in all these applications.

NEW HORIZONS

  Our look into the future stressed alternate materials and processes. Lasers are being used on non-planar substrates and flexible materials in applications ranging from aerospace to food packaging. Micro-fluidic systems for use in DNA and Immune assays, drug screening & synthesis, and automated chemical reactors are being developed using alternatives to the traditional silicon IC based technology. Delegates were reminded that micromachining is very much a multi-disciplinary field requiring expertise in chemistry, physics and biology as well as mechanical and electronic engineering.

TRANSPORTATION

  The use of micromachined devices in the transportation industry is well known and of comparatively long standing. The industry provides excellent examples of the process involved in moving from a research concept to a commercially successful micromachined product. New products and new applications for existing products continue to expand the market for microsystem technology in automotive and aerospace applications. The low cost and size of micromachined sensors allow us to consider the application of large sensor arrays with many different sensor types to greatly enhance system reliability.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

  The instruments used to create, transfer and store information grow increasingly miniaturized. Micromachining is expected to play a major role in manufacturing these miniature devices, but integration of current micromachining research is required. In telecommunications the drive for real time interactive multimedia means increasing use of optics. Production of micro-optical devices increasingly means use of micromachining to keep costs down.

NEXT MICROMACHINE SUMMIT

  The chief delegates accepted the offer of Dr. Bates to host the fourth World Micromachine Summit next year in Melbourne, Australia.