Abstract: MEMS and integrated sensors have seen tremendous research and development activities over the past three decades and been instrumental in the success of many devices, ranging from airpods to implantable medical sensors. Silicon-based physical sensors and actuators have matured across different modalities with a myriad of devices being commercially available and used indispensably in automotive, consumer and medical applications. In this talk, I will discuss opportunities that can fuel the growth of MEMS research and development over the next decades. While some of these opportunities relate to new material systems for MEMS, like monocrystalline 4H silicon carbide, there exist challenges pertinent to integration, performance and reliability of MEMS devices to enable precision instruments on chip. One example relates to the integration of rubidium atomic beams with MEMS elements to create hybrid atomic instruments. I will share some thoughts on what the future can hold for MEMS, and how cross-disciplinary research can unveil the true value of MEMS sensors and actuators in demanding applications that are yet to come.

Bio: Farrokh Ayazi is the Regents’ Entrepreneur and Ken Byers Professor in Microsystems in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a fellow of IEEE and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and was the 2018 recipient of Outstanding Achievement in Research Innovation Award from Georgia Tech. He was the general chair of the IEEE Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) conference in 2014. In 2008, Dr. Ayazi co-founded and became the CTO of Qualtré, a spinout company of his research lab that develops bulk acoustic wave gyroscopes for autonomous car and personal navigation systems, acquired by Panasonic in 2016. Since 2019, he has been leading StethX Microsystems, another spinout of his research lab and an ATDC company in commercializing advanced wearable sensors for cardiopulmonary applications.

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A boxed lunch will be served on a first come, first served basis.