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MEMS in Automobiles

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Microsystems and Nanotechnology

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based commercial products. It also discusses the basic MEMS technologies, including IC technology, MEMSCAD (MEMS computer added design), micromachining, materials, and packaging and testing. The emphasis is on the compatibility issues of the various micromachining and packaging technologies with the special requirements of automotive applications. The fabrication, application, and evolution of the silicon membrane-based pressure transducers, silicon-based micro-accelerometers, and solid-state gyroscopes are described. A variety of driver vision assistance devices, the potential high-volume automotive products, are presented. The paper is concluded with a remark on the upcoming systems that are able to make automobile safer, more fuel efficient, and fun to drive.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Wayne State University, 5050 Anthony Wayne Drive, Detroit, Michigan, 48202, USA

    Shih-Chia (Scott) Chang

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  1. Shih-Chia (Scott) Chang
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Precision Instruments & Mechanology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Zhaoying Zhou

  2. Center for Nanostructure Characterization and Fabrication (CNCF), Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0245, USA

    Liwei Lin

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720-1740, USA

    Zhonglin Wang

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© 2012 Tsinghua University Press, Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Chang, SC.(. (2012). MEMS in Automobiles. In: Zhou, Z., Wang, Z., Lin, L. (eds) Microsystems and Nanotechnology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18293-8_19

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