Bringing Multi-Domain Functions to Intelligent Systems through MEMS Technology Platforms – The INTEGRAMplus Access Service.

Nanotechnology embraces many disciplines, devices and materials. These range from very deep submicron electronic devices including carbon nanotubes, resonant tunnelling devices, and next generation CMOS, through to functional materials such as bio-chemical monolayers and selfassembling molecules. It is widely recognised that to extract the performance benefits from these technologies, suitable carriers and interfaces must be developed to support delivery of electrical or physical input and output and provide a “quiet” electromagnetic and mechanical environment for the active structures. The FP6 Europractice-like Service Project ‘INTEGRAMplus’ aims to provide industrial and academic access to multi-technology MEMS platforms that target both today’s requirements for products based on Microsystems Technologies and tomorrow’s trends towards the exploitation of nanotechnology for new functionality within electronic systems. The INTEGRAMplus technology base is focused on the integration of polymer and silicon technologies. In general the concept is to use polymers for both packaging of active siliconbased devices and to provide fluidic interfaces and delivery functions to silicon-based bio-chemical sensors. This article presents the foundations of the INTEGRAMplus technologies and vision together with potential applications.