Division of Micro Systems Technology
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The Seal of Uppsala University,
etched in silicon, and a human hair.
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Micro Systems Technology (MST) and Microengineering are collective concepts for different techniques aiming at producing and using technical components and systems in the nanometre to millimetre range, commonly 1-100µm.
Micromechanics and microelectromechanics (MEMS) are parts of the MST, which also includes microoptics, microfluidics,
microrobotics, microsensorics etc. The microstructuring techniques often are based on photolithographic processes, both for materials removal and deposition.
MST finds applications within all parts of our society; household commodities, medical technology, home electronics, manufacturing industry, transport, telecommunication and much more.
Typical examples are microsensors (accelerometers and gyros) which in a split second trigger crash cushions in cars in collisions or rollover accidents, or microsystems for rapid medical point-of-care diagnostics.
Components based on nanotechnology, integrated in the microsystems, are gradually becoming more frequent. At the Department of Engineering Sciences the MST division and other research groups (some 40 researchers) study micromotors and microrobots, microanalysis systems for medical diagnosis, microoptical systems for telecom, and advanced systems for micro- and nanosatellites among other things.
Much of the research takes place within large, externally funded Centres: Centre for Wireless Networks (WISENET, funded by Vinnova); Uppsala Berzelii Technology Centre for Neurodiagnostics (funded by VR and Vinnova); Uppsala Microbiomics Centre (funded by Formas); and the space technology centre ÅSTC (funded by Vinnova and the Swedish National Space Board).
The MST division collaborates actively with a broad spectrum of companies, and has been instrumental in the ceation of new companies which today employ several hundred persons in the region.
