Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The proposed research program will explore a new class of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based on nontraditional materials for a variety of medical and other applications as well as nanomaterial-enabled next-generation electromechanical devices. The medical MEMS applications targeted in this program include implantable and surgical devices that are aimed at enabling novel diagnostic and therapeutic means for chronic and life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cerebral aneurysms, and cancers - the successful research results will contribute to saving lives and improving quality of life for not only Canadians but also people around the world suffered from such diseases. One of the foci of the program is to develop ""smart"" intravascular devices such as cardiac stents and embolization devices that function as wireless sensors for telemetric diagnosis of vascular diseases such as stenosis and aneurysms. The development of these novel devices fabricated using biocompatible metals and alloys requires the ability to weld and permanently joint multiple metallic microstructures together while achieving high mechanical bonding strength. This type of microscale welding is also required for the fabrication of other MEMS-based medical devices currently investigated, including implantable wireless drug delivery devices, cryogenic probes for prostate cancer therapy, optical scanners for gastrointestinal cancer detection. Furthermore, microwelding is used to realize robust hermetic packaging of MEMS chips for automotive and harsh-environment applications, as well as to develop novel electromechanical devices enabled by nanomaterials such as carbon-nanotube-based sensors and high-performance actuators formed with metallic nanowires. The requested laser microwelding system will be a powerful, versatile microfabrication tool that uniquely allows us to develop and prototype the proposed devices and conduct basic research for nanomaterial bonding in the above important application domains. The system will benefit not only this proposal's applicants and their trainees but also many other potential users in the area of Microsystems and Nanotechnology at UBC.