Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

<p>The research programs to be supported by the requested equipment will develop revolutionary micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and other emerging devices based on three-dimensional (3D) micro/nanostructures for a variety of applications, ranging from &ldquo;smart&rdquo; medical implants and electronic skins to carbon-nanotube-based devices and next-generation integrated-circuit (IC) manufacturing.</p> <p>The medical MEMS targeted in the programs are investigated to realize groundbreaking therapeutic and diagnostic technologies for life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cerebral aneurysms, and cancers. The successful research will contribute to saving lives and improving quality of life for Canadians and people around the world suffering from such diseases. Part of the studies is particularly focused on active smart stents integrated with MEMS and IC microchips, as well as on surgical active catheters with embedded microactuators, in order to offer breakthrough products for vascular therapies. An essential ability required to develop these novel devices, all of which are fully 3D by their nature, will be to uniformly coat thin films of a variety of materials on their 3D surfaces with high thickness controllability and accuracy. This type of 3D deposition ability is also required for the development of other bioMEMS currently being investigated, including biocompatible microneedles, implantable drug delivery devices, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers, and cell characterization and separation chips. Similarly, uniform 3D coating is essential for the integration of carbon nanotubes onto MEMS with 3D geometry, which is expected to enable innovative products in sensing and clean energy generation, as well as for the development of textile-based flexible electronics and 3D packaging of silicon-photonic ICs for biomedical and harsh environment applications. </p> <p>The requested thin-film 3D deposition system will be a unique and versatile coating tool that will enable a broad range of research in microsystems and nanotechnology. The system will allow the applicants&rsquo; teams to prototype the targeted devices and conduct fundamental studies in nanomaterials and cell engineering for the important application domains outlined above. The equipment will immediately contribute to ten ongoing research programs, including HQP training defined in each program, and many other research projects in the long term. The system will benefit not only the applicants and their trainees but also a number of other potential users in the applied science community at UBC.</p>