{"71990":{"#nid":"71990","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Grant Boosts Work on Small-scale Systems","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) award to participate in a multi-university research center that will develop a computer-aided design (CAD) environment for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS). \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new research center - to be called the Investigate Multi-physics Modeling and Performance Assessment-driven Characterization and Computation Technology (IMPACT) Center for Advancement of MEMS\/NEMS VLSI -- will be led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and will include teams from Purdue University and Lehigh University as well as Georgia Tech.  A consortium of companies - including BAE Systems, Inc., Innovative Design \u0026amp; Technology, MEMtronics Corp., Raytheon Co., Rockwell Collins Inc. and the Rogers Corp. - will also participate financially with DARPA in the center.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s share of the research will be conducted by a team associated with the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research will seek to develop CAD systems that are based on physical models and therefore can conclusively predict the behavior of MEMS devices.  Eventually engineers developing systems with MEMS devices could use a simple drag-and-drop interface to simulate not only the electrical effects of MEMS usage, but also thermal, mechanical and reliability aspects as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This kind of predictive capability could greatly increase the speed with which MEMS-enabled microsystems can be developed,\u0022 said John Papapolymerou, an associate professor in ECE.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EInitially, Papapolymerou said, Georgia Tech will receive about $1.25 million for a six-year effort.  However, as more companies join the center, that amount is likely to increase, he added.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the first year Georgia Tech\u0027s efforts will focus on the fundamental physics of MEMS devices - particularly with respect to dielectric charging of MEMS switches, Papapolymerou said. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough MEMS-enabled microsystems have the potential to revolutionize communications, sensors and signal-processing, he said, their capabilities have been limited by a lack of understanding of how physical phenomena govern MEMS-device functionality.  It\u0027s particularly unclear how much performance is degraded when MEMS devices are exposed to the operating conditions of a integrated circuit. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022When we have a better understanding of the fundamental physics of MEMS devices, we can then proceed to the higher-order models and levels that are required to develop a CAD program,\u0022 Papapolymerou said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe ultimate goal of the IMPACT center, he said, will be to promote the availability of MEMS\/NEMS-based micro- and nanosystems in military and commercial applications. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This is meant to be a dynamic center,\u0022 Papapolymerou said. \u0022The idea is going to be to expand this in the future, so we can also expand the number of research problems that we undertake.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).  The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the U.S. Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.\u003C\/em\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, Georgia  30308  USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: Rick Robinson (404-694-2284); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:rick.robinson@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Erick.robinson@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Jackie Nemeth (404-894-2906); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Rick Robinson\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech part of multi-university center developing computer-aided design environment"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers have received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) award to participate in a multi-university center that will develop a computer-aided design environment for micro-electromechanical systems and nano-electromechanical systems.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"DARPA funds research on CAD for small systems"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2007-08-12 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:24","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2007-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2007-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"71991":{"id":"71991","type":"image","title":"Research team","body":null,"created":"1449177425","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:17:05","changed":"1475894647","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:07"},"71992":{"id":"71992","type":"image","title":"Prof. Papapolymerou","body":null,"created":"1449177425","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:17:05","changed":"1475894647","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:07"},"71993":{"id":"71993","type":"image","title":"MEMS on wafer","body":null,"created":"1449177425","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:17:05","changed":"1475894647","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:07"}},"media_ids":["71991","71992","71993"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/faculty-staff\/fac_profiles\/bio.php?id=78","title":"John Papapolymerou"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7553","name":"CAD"},{"id":"690","name":"darpa"},{"id":"2557","name":"mems"},{"id":"7425","name":"nanometer"},{"id":"107","name":"Nanotechnology"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERick Robinson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=rr190\u0022\u003EContact Rick Robinson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-694-2284\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rick.robinson@innovate.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}