Micro system fundamentals and design

The research focuses on the design of microsystems and their manufacturing. This also comprises the interactions between mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical disciplines. In most cases some form of modelling and optimisation is involved in the design.

Challenges

Developing modeling tools to deal with fundamental physical issues and using the optimization tools, like these, we design applications like:

Micro actuators in a miniature flapping wing micro air vehicle;
Surface layer effects for micro and nano resonant devices;
Dynamic thermomechanical effects in photolithographic systems;
etc.

As a part of these projects, prototypes are build for validation of the modelling tools and design.

Experimental setup to test a fuel to drive a micro actuator.

Research projects

Dynamic thermomechanics

The PhD project consentrate on the development of transient thermal models and design methodologies for frequency dependent thermal sensitivity, thermal drift and real-time compensation strategies.