• R&D and Protection of Intellectual Property• Nishio Lab., The University of Tokyo• Rep. on Appl. of Other Field New Technol.
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R&D and Protection ofIntellectual Property
Masaaki Yohkaichiya
SeniorDirector,
The 3rd Examination Department,
Japanese Patent Office
There will be three major technological fields in the 21st
century namely, IT, biotechnology and micro and nano technologies. In these fields of height technology, protection of intellectual properties is secured for the promotion of R&D activities in order to bring about further technological innovation. However, there are some problems to be solved in connection with intellectual property.
In the field of IT, the explosive spread of cellular phone use
and the Internet is regarded as having triggered economic recovery. In addition to the rapid advances in technological fields
such as communications, information processing, and image
processing, which are often referred to as “digital revolution”
fields, new business systems making use of the Internet as
represented by e-commerce are further expanding the demand
for the Internet. Under such circumstances, discussions andexaminations are now under way to establish a range of reasonable patent protection for the business methods that havenot been protected under patent law to date.
In the field of biotechnology, analysis of the human genome
has almost reached completion as a result of competition between international joint research projects and private industries around the globe. The genetic information obtained fromsuch analyses will advance the development of new medicines
as well as the treatment of intractable diseases. However, theprotection of such analyzed genetic information using patentfunctions has become a major issue.
In the field of micro-technology, MMC has been promoting
The Industrial Science and Technology Frontier Program,“Micromachine Technology” since fiscal 1991. In this project, awide range of R&D activities and basic research conducted byuniversities, colleges, and national institutes/laboratories havesuccessfully resulted in the reported achievements which include the developments of new manufacturing techniques, constituent technologies covering the identification of functions,and development of system formation technologies. The project
has helped industry to discover new seeds that are expected tocontribute greatly to the advent of new industries as they go
into practical use in various applications. With regard to theintellectual properties to be protected in this field, more than
500 cases have been filed for patents related to this project as
the MITI and MMC have also been actively promoting and supporting the trend. The number of applications is much higher
than that recorded for any ordinary national projects to date.
The number of applications in Japan including those mentioned
above and others totals more than 2,000, which is clearly higher
than in the U.S.A where some 500 applications have been made.
The problem with such circumstances in Japan is that the
number of patent applications by universities, colleges, andnational institutes/laboratories is far below the number of research papers (only a few percent).
For nano technology in particular, Japan is now planninga new national project to counter the intensified research
projects on nano technology being promoted by the U.S. government. Since the project is expected to focus on basic R&D
by universities, colleges, and national institutes/laboratories,
the protection of related intellectual property will have a major influence on the R&D strategy.
On the other hand Japanese national universities and national institutes/laboratories are in the process of being reor-

2

ganized into independent administrative agencies. In thissense, they will have to secure their income through the protection of intellectual property as they are required to reinforce the respective financial foundations.
“The Law Promoting Technology Transfer from Universities to Industry (TLO Act)” (jointly enacted in 1998 by Ministry of Education and MITI) is intended to facilitate the protection of intellectual property related to the results of research
projects conducted by universities and/or colleges and also topromote technology transfer to private industry for commercialization of relevant technologies. The following paragraphs
summarize the background of the TLO Act.
Japanese universities and colleges have been rich in the
resources of scientific and technological researches. However,such achievements have not been sufficiently utilized in industry. For example, little more than one-third (250,000) of
the total population of Japanese researchers is registered inuniversities or colleges. With 20 % of the research fund (3.1
trillion yen) in Japan spent on the research projects conductedby universities and colleges, patent applications by such organizations account for only 0.04% of the total number of applications in Japan. On the other hand, in the U.S., a system forpromoting technology transfer from universities and colleges
to the industrial sectors was established in the 1980s. As aresult, the number of cases where companies employ theachievements of universities or colleges on a commercial basis
and further, the number of new companies that are purely associated with such new technologies has increased, resulting
in the creation of an impetus to boost country-wide economic
recovery. Taking Stanford University and MIT as examples,both have obtained a large number of patents so that the funds
from the royalties can be fed back into their research thereby
improving it. The TLO Act is modeled on this successful American system.
TLO stands for Technology Licensing Organization andrefers to an organization that takes charge of applying for patents for the results of research projects conducted by the universities or colleges and coordinating technology transfer toindustry. It serves as the “Patent Division” in a university orcollege, allowing researchers to concentrate on their research
while increasing research funds from patent royalties and commercialization processed by the TLO.
The income at the beginning of a technology transfer transaction is usually very small and the expenses for the patentright applications substantial. Under such circumstances, the
TLO Act stipulates special supporting arrangements for the
TLOs designated by the Ministers of Education and MITI, including grants for research, guarantee of obligation, supply of
information, reduction or exemption of patent application fees,
dispatch of technology transfer experts, assistance to venturebusinesses or small-and-medium size companies that receive
the technologies, special permission for the teaching staff of anational college or university to also serve as executive members of a TLO or private company that accepts the technology
from the college or university in particular. So far 15 institutes, including national and private colleges and universities.
have established TLOs, with some more expected to be established in the near future.

Thermal Management Devices
Utilizing Micro Grooves and Micro
Channels

Professor Shigefumi Nishio(Vice-Director General) Institute of Industrial Science,
The University of Tokyo
Introduction
This Research Laboratory, which belongs to the “Department of Information & Systems” of Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, is conducting
research on thermal management engineering. Basedon the conviction that the academic engineering in universities should be centered on three fields, namely theelement phenomena, technological elements and technological systems, we are specifically conducting thefollowing research projects. As for the research on element phenomena, we are working on phenomena including (1) liquid phase changes such as evaporation, boiling, solidification, freezing, etc.; (2) heat transport excited by the oscillation of a fluid; and (3) thermal hydraulic phenomena occluded in a narrow space. As a partof the research on technological elements, we are developing (4) heat pipes, (5) heat sinks, (6) refrigerators and(7) soft engines. As a part of the research on technological systems, we are developing (8) materials processing
systems such as steel products, (9) cooling systems forelectronic devices, and (10) freezing systems for storageof foodstuffs.
Outlined below are the research projects to which
the word “Micro” can be prefixed.
Meniscus evaporation phenomenon and microgroove evaporators
Firstly, we would like to introduce the research
projects concerning (1) and (5). When the lower end of a
wettable plate is immersed in a liquid as shown in Fig.
1, a liquid surface having a curvature, i.e. meniscus, isformed. When the plate is heated beyond its boiling point,
evaporation occurs at the meniscus. Such evaporating

Fig. 1 Three regions in meniscus

meniscus can be divided into three regions as shown in
Fig. 1. Evaporation does not tend to occur in the thinfilm region because the molecules in the liquid film aresubject to constraint by the atoms constituting the plate.
On the other hand, in the intrinsic meniscus region, intensive evaporation does not tend to occur because thethickness of the liquid film constitutes a thermal resistance. Thus, intensive evaporation only tends to occur
in the intermediate interline region.
If the interline region where intensive evaporation
tends to occur can be closely arranged on the surface ofa solid substance, it would become possible to develop
an extremely small-sized evaporator, which could thenbe utilized as an evaporator for energy equipment, spaceheat sinks, etc.
The width of the interline region is said to be lessthan 1 µm, so that the above-mentioned conditions may
be realized by, for example, arranging a large number ofmicro grooves on the surface of a solid substance in thevertical direction; in other words, forming interline regions along the grooves by siphoning the liquid, utilizing the capillary action that is generated by the grooves,thus confining the meniscus in the grooves. The problem lies in the fact that the volume of liquid that evaporates in the grooves will be drawn up by means of thecapillary action. When the width of the grooves is reduced, the capillary action increases, but the flow resistance increases simultaneously. Therefore, when thegrooves are made extremely narrow, a phenomenon
known as “dry out” occurs in which the liquid at theupper end of the solid substance runs short even at low
heats.
Accordingly, there must be an optimum groove widththat produces the maximum dry out heat flux. Currently,
the optimum groove width based on the experiments
using ethanol is in the order of 100 µm; unfortunately,
the above-mentioned region cannot be realized.
Heat transport phenomenon excited by vibrationand micro heat pipes
Next, we would like to introduce our research concerning (2) and (4). Heat conduction exists as a principle of heat transfer. The amount of heat transferredby the heat conduction per unit area and unit time canbe obtained by multiplying the temperature gradientby the coefficient of thermal conductivity (Fourier’s law).
When the heat flux is replaced by the current density,
the temperature gradient is replaced by the electric potential gradient and the coefficient of thermal conductivity is replaced by the electric conductivity, theFourier’s law becomes the Ohm’s law. As such, the heat3

conduction and the electric conduction are analogous.
However, there are large differences in heat conduction when compared to electric conduction; super-conductors, perfect insulators and diodes do not exist. If, intheory, it is difficult to develop super-conductors or diodes of heat, it is desirable to realize a similar function
mechanically. The element that achieves the quasi-super conduction of heat is known as “Heat Pipe (HP)”. A
representative example is the wick type HP, in which
the grooves (wicks) that generate the capillary action
are provided on the inner surface of a pipe in which bothends are closed and a small quantity of liquid is charged.
When one end of this HP is heated and the other end
cooled, the charged liquid evaporates at the heated end.
This vapor condenses at the cooled end and the heat istransported via a cycle whereby the condensate is returned to the heated end by the capillary action on the
inner surface of the pipe.
Now, whilst the heat generating density of the semiconductor device is increasing steadily, the size of theequipment mounted with semiconductor devices is becoming smaller and smaller. Under such circumstances,thin thermal diffusion plates that effectively diffuse theheat generated by the devices as well as heat sinks thattransfer the heat effectively to ambient air are essential. A thin thermal diffusion plate cannot diffuse theheat effectively even if a copper plate having the highest coefficient of heat conductivity among the various
materials currently available is used. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a heat diffusion plate equipped with
HP. However, the wick type HP, which has an outer diameter in the unit of sub-millimeters, cannot transfer
sufficient heat because of its limited capillary action.
Thus, a new micro HP is required. One such HP is the
COSMOS-HP developed in our laboratory. While thewick type HP utilizes phase changes, this HP is of the
non-phase change type that utilizes the enhanced heatdiffusion effect obtained by the reciprocating motion(oscillating flow) of the liquid charged in the snaking
flow channel. When the amplitude and frequency of theoscillating flow in this HP is increased, the apparent
heat conductivity becomes far superior to that of copper. This HP appears promising as a micro HP because
it does not have the internal structure found in the wicktype HP, except for a vibrator to turn the liquid to theFig. 3 Micro channel heat sinkoscillating flow. For your information, Fig. 2 shows theheat diffusion plate equipped with a diaphragm typevibrator and a COSMOS-HP, in which 17 rectangularflow channels of 0.5mm width are arranged in parallel
to constitute the closed channels. Further, the COSMOSHP functions as a thermal diode by on-off vibration.
Field constraint phenomenon and micro channel
heat sink
Finally, we would like to introduce our research concerning (3) and (5). As mentioned above, with theprogress of semiconductor devices, the development of
a high-performance air-cooled heat sink is required.
However, the development of such heat sinks is highly
difficult because the thermal conductivity of air is extremely low.
Now, according to knowledge in the field of heattransfer, heat transfer performance is in reverse proportion to the thickness of the layer having temperature distribution in the air (the boundary layer thickness). For example, in a rectangular flow channel, thethermal boundary layer cannot be thicker than half thewidth of the flow channel, so that if the width of theflow channel is reduced, the heat transfer performanceincreases. However, if the width of the flow channel isreduced, the driving force to propel the fluid also increases; accordingly, there optimum dimensions must
exist, as in the case of the micro groove evaporator.
According to the optimization calculation conductedin our laboratory, when several 10W/cm2 (heat generating density which the semiconductor devices will reachin the near future) is treated in a heat sink measuring,
10 mm wide, 10 mm long and 3 mm high (refer to Fig.
3), the optimum width of the flow channel in the heatsink will be approx. 0.1 mm. A heat sink having such anarrow flow channel is known as a micro channel heatsink. The heat flow in the micro channels remains unaccounted for however, and research is in progress todevelop this type of heat sink.
Reference
1) S.Nishio, Attempts to apply micro heat transfer
to thermal management, Keynote Lecture in Engineering Foundation Conference: Heat Transfer
and Transport Phenomena in Microsystems,
Banff, 2000. 10.

Fig. 2 COSMOS heat pipe

4Research on the Application of Sprout Technologies in otherFields to Micromachine Technology for Fiscal 1999 (Part I)
Since 1992, the Micromachine Center has taken up various seeds of technology as themes for joint
research by academic, governmental and industrial sectors, aiming to reinforce basic technologies by searchingfor technology seeds, especially in the scientific and technological fields, that are necessary to build various microsystems. In fiscal 1999, research has been carried out on nine themes. The following articles are summary reports
on four themes among them.

Investigative Study of a Mechano-sensor and Signal
Transduction in the Mechanisms of Various Plant ReHideyuki Takahashi
Genetic Ecology,
sponses to Environmental Stimuli Professor, Institute ofTohoku
University
The response of a plant to a mechanical stimulus, which
can generally be observed, is an important factor by which aliving plant adapts itself to various environmental stresses.
However, the mechanism whereby a plant perceives mechanical stimuli remains almost unresolved. However, those stimuli
working on membrane systems on a cell level play an important role not only in thigmomorphogenesis but also in various
responses to environmental factors, including water, temperature, and gravity. This has led to the discovery of the presenceof a mechano-sensor or a mechano-receptor that perceives thosestimuli.
In this investigative study, the responses of a plant to theenvironment, in which a mechano-sensor is thought to takepart, were all-inclusively investigated along with the detailed
analyses of mechano-sensors of plants, including an investigation of the literature, verification experiments, and the development of the methods of study in terms of the cystoskeleton,
membrane physiology, gene expression, and hormonal control.
A plant cell grows as a cell wall extends due to turgor pressure. Accordingly, each cell in a growing plant tissue shrinks
and expands individually due to differences in the rate of
growth. In this manner, plant cells are constantly receiving
mechanical stimuli as they grow. This in turn serves as a means
to control their own growth. In the pith of cultured cells of
tobacco, the plane of cell division, controlled by a preprophaseband of microtubules (PPB), is positioned perpendicular to thedirection of shrinkage. Again, the direction of cell expansion is
also thought to be controlled by the change in the orientationof a cell’s cortical microtubules. Very significantly, this study
also verified that this change in the direction of the microtubules is concerned with the expression of hydrotropism,
gravitropism, gravimorphogenesis, and thigmotropism. It isalso proposed that, in the gravitropism of a Chara rhyzoid,
sedimentation of statoliths stimulates mechanically the microfilaments connected with the plasma membrane or endoplasmic reticulum, thus activating the stretch-activated calcium channel. It will be necessary in the future to prove therelationship between the statoliths and microfilaments for common gravity-sensitive cells of roots.
The cytoplasmic movement indigenous to the active material transport system in the cell plays a very important rolephysiologically in the joint action with its control mechanism.
The calcium ion, Ca2+, is known to play the leading role in thiscontrol mechanism. Investigation and analysis, therefore, suggested the possibility that the cytoplasmic movement responsible for the active transport system in the cell and its control

mechanism along with the calcium channel sensitive to mechanical stimuli are concerned with this control. The findings
have led to a concept that an increment of calcium in the cellnecessitates the source of calcium inside and outside the cellwith a mechano-sensor taking part in both cases. In Nitella
flexilis, belonging to a family of fresh water green algae, theflow of water into the cytoplasm increases the concentration of
calcium in the cell. This water flow into the cytoplasm wasfound to activate the calcium channel present in the intracellular membrane system, a small calcium-accumulating organin the cell. Furthermore, it was found highly likely that thiscalcium channel works as a mechano-sensor.
This advance in the research of a plant mechano-sensor is
supported by the following findings:
1) A gene induced by touch (thigmostimulation) was identified and found related to calmodulin.
2) The way calcium ions participate in the plant responses toenvironmental stimuli was clarified.
As a result, evidences are being collected that the stretchactivated ion channel and MAP kinase system play an essential role as plant mechano-sensors. It has been made clear thatthe molecules of a plant, in which gene expression is inducedby various stimuli, including mechanical ones, contain a multigene family, closely related to the protein kinase, associatedwith the signal transduction in the cells as previously pointed
out in the case of animals, and its second messenger, calcium.
On the other hand, very few reports are available in thecase of animals that a stress induces the transcription of genes
associated with the signal transduction. It is generally known
that the genes in the path of signal transduction, always present
in the cells in definite quantity, transfer various stimulative
signals via the post-translation modification, such as the phosphorylation of protein. Plants differ greatly from animals in
those respects. In this investigative study a method was devised not only for isolating a gene that codes the calcium-dependent protein kinase, considered to be an important molecule in the above processes, but also for isolating and identifying all-inclusively the mechano-sensor-related genes including the one described above.
As described, a mechnao-sensor is universally present inall organisms. It appears that a plant has mechano-sensors inboth the plasma membrane and the intracellular membrane.
In future studies, it will be necessary to prove this hypothesis
as well as to elucidate the mechanism whereby such mechanosensors can induce multiple responses of a plant to the environment.

5

Investigative Research on Power MEMS
Technology
Masayoshi Esashi
Professor, New Industry Creation Hatchery Center,
Tohoku University
Micromachines enable high-sensitivity andhigh-accuracy sensing or high-accuracy and highresolution actuation. It is generally considered difficult, however, for them to produce large energy,
work, force or displacement.
On the other hand, there is a big demand forlarge power from the smallest possible volume. To
meet this demand, power microelectromechanicalsystems (power MEMS) are under study. As a comparison between a gasoline car and an electric one
clearly shows, higher output density can be realized from chemical energy using combustion engines than batteries.
Generally, thermal engines, including gas turbine or gasoline engine, attain a one-order higher
output density and energy density than high-performance batteries. This has led to the study ofthe power MEMS for extracting the desired kinetic
or electric energy from chemical energy usingmeans such as combustion engines.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), a large-scale project is under way to study
and develop a micro-gas turbine with a rotor lessthan 10 mm in diameter by silicon micromachining. In comparison with a small battery, even witha high-performance battery such as lithium one a
micro-gas turbine attains a one-order higher output density and energy density. In contrast with asecondary battery, which takes a long time forcharging, a micro-gas turbine can be used readilysimply by supplying it with fuel.
Several prototypes and test machines have been
manufactured thus far, and offered for rotation andcombustion tests. However, a self-sustaining micro-gas turbine has not yet been realized.
A group led by Tohoku University is also studying independently a micro-gas turbine, and has
carried out so far the trial manufacture of a micro-rotor made of sintered silicon carbide, the trial
manufacture and rotation test of a micro-air turbine, and numerical analysis of the internal flowof a micro-turbine by computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Jet Propulsion Laboratories(JPL) of the U.S. are leading the research and development of a micro-thruster for the attitude control of a micro-satellite. Because of the long developmental period and the enormous amount of

6money required for launching a gigantic satellite
exceeding 1 ton in weight, it has become almost
impossible to maintain the required frequency oflaunching.
With the background described above, a project
led by the U.S. is under way to uniquely miniaturize a satellite and a planet prober weighing 1 to
10 kg. A thruster to be mounted on such an extremely small satellite for attitude control, for instance, should be super-miniaturized to several
centimeters square, thus making it impossible tomanufacture it by merely extending conventional
techniques.
It, therefore, becomes essential to manufacturea thruster by micromachining technology. Up tothis time, various engines have been manufactured
on a trial basis, including cold-gas-jet, resist-jet,and solid-fuel engines.
A wearable information terminal is a small device that can be attached to the body. In the future, the wearable information terminal with its
sensor attached to the body will enable the monitoring of health or position when it is equippedwith the functions to automatically sense, process
and transmit various information. Other applications may be found in investigative tracking ofanimals or simultaneous multiple-point measurement of chemicals for the preservation of the global environment by attaching wearable information terminals to animals or artificial objects.
A key factor in the above case is how to supply
energy to a wearable information terminal. In theapplications described above, in which replacement
or recharge of batteries is impossible or inconvenient, a micro-generator becomes necessary. A proposal was, therefore, made for a system of power
generation from vibration, and this system was
manufactured on a trial basis. However, the energy generated by this system was insufficient andunstable, and it will be necessary to combine thissystem with a circuit so that its limited power canbe utilized to the full.
Concrete examples of techniques for effective
use of energy and its conservation include aswitched-capacitor voltage-boosting circuit for the
automatic generating system (AGS) of a wrist
watch, and a self-sustaining digital signal processor (DSP) driven by vibration power generation.
It is highly desirable that those systems will be
combined with the power MEMS.

Investigative Research on the Merger ofMicromachine Technology with Biometric
Yasuhiro Fukui
Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering,Technology
Tokyo Denki University
The merger of the medical field with micromachinetechnology is one of the most desirable applications of
micromachine technology, and its study is going on ardently. Unfortunately, however, commercialized instances are quite few up to this time. It will therefore benecessary to clarify the demand from the medical site
and the present state of micromachine technology.
(1) First, the hope and request for the development of
micromachines from the medical site are under investigation in terms of diagnosis and therapy.
From the standpoints of diagnosis and therapy, thefollowing can be cited:(a) miniaturization of examination instruments, (b)non-invasive diagnosis and trace sample, (c) bed-side
inspection, (d) microcapsules, (e) more precise examination, (g) medical treatment at home, and (f) electronicclinical charts and optomagnetic cards.
(a) Less-invasive or non-invasive therapy (b) therapy
using microcap-sules, and (c) therapy on a microlevel.
(2) The following five points now attracting public attention are under investigative research.
2.1 DNA chips
Now under investigation is an entirely new technology for DNA analysis, a micro- and nano-chip technology, that enables the extraction, separation, and detection necessary for DNA analysis on a single chip. This
technology takes advantage of semiconductor integration technology for fine processing, enabling analysis ofeven tens of thousands of samples in a few seconds. Also
under investigation is a trend toward the developmentof syringe pumps, fine processing pumps, and electrophoretic technology.
2.2 Capillary electrophoresis
Capillary electrophoresis is one technique of chromatography. Research to apply chip electrophoresis witha glass capillary formed on the planar substrate to DNA
analysis is energetically going on. A major feature of
the analytical system using this capillary electrophoresis, i.e., a micro/miniaturized total analysis system(mTAS), is that no mechanical moving part is required
because of the possibility of sending liquid by an electroosmotic phenomenon. This enables the control of fluid
merely by applying voltage, and is advantageous for simplifying the chip mechanism as well as for miniaturizing the total system. This section describes capillary electrophoresis and the mTAS by making use of the former.
2.3 Liquid elements
The mTAS can broadly be divided into the following

three systems:
1) A micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) witha mechanical fluid control mechanism2) A flowing system in which analysis is carried out
in a continuous flow with a capillary electrophoresis system formed on the planar substrate3) A batch system in which reaction and analysis
are carried out in an extremely small chamber
formed in a matrix state.
The flowing system is characterized by micronizing
each element constituting the system, giving it a twodimensional structure in which micro passes connecting the elements are arranged on the planar substrate.
The properties of a fluid, which are expected to become
particularly important for the flowing system, a mixer
that takes those properties into consideration, and micro fluid control elements, including a micropump anda microvalve, will be introduced relative to their present
states. Also, the CAD system and its application samples
useful for designing the micro analytical system andmicro fluid elements are described.
2.4 Optical measurement
The field of a biochemical analysis, particularly thatof clinical chemical analysis can be considered bestsuited for the application of micromachine technology
related to optical measurement in biometry.
For clinical biochemical analysis using light, the following three items are necessary:1) Separation for detection of only the object material2) Labeling for optical detection of the object material
3) Quantitative measurement by appropriate spectrophotometry
In this section, the recent trend toward biochemical
analysis using light will be outlined in terms of micronization.
2.5 Sensors
This section will describe, in particular, the following biometric sensors that can be realized by fine processing technology utilizing micromachine technology:(a) catheter-mounting sensors, (b) mTAS, and (c)wristwatch type pulse measurers.
(3) As examples of application of the above techniques,
the following less-invasive or non-invasive biometric instruments are introduced:
Application to (a) vital sign measurement, (b) biometric instruments, and (c) therapeutic instruments.

7

Investigative Research on Enhancing the Functions of Artificial Organs by Merging with MicroTuneo Chinnzei
Professor, Research Center formachine Technology Advanced Science Assistantand Technology, The University of Tokyo
In recent years organ transplantation following brain death
has come to be accepted in our country. However, the current
situation still faces many unresolved problems, such as thecontroversy of ethics, the legislative system, and the absolutedeficiency on the supply side.
Artificial organs are technological products designed to circumvent the problems associated with brain-death organ transplantation as described above. However, the technology is not
yet mature enough to replace organ transplantation. This report deals with the current state of research and development,
the problems involved, and the possibility of accelerating thedevelopment of artificial organs by applying micromachine technology. The techniques of genetic engineering and histologicalengineering are being introduced for the development of artificial organs. In this context, micromachine technology is expected to play an important role now and in the future. This
has led to the investigation of the relationship between thebiotechnology, deemed essential for the development of artificial organs with biocells, and micromachine technology.
This investigative report emphasizes several items closely
connected with micromachine technology, particularly in thedevelopment of artificial organs.
1) Small, dispersible artificial organs
The organs of a living body, particularly internal organs,including the heart, lung, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, kidney,
and digestive organs are clustered in the living body. On theother hand, the skin, blood vessel system, lymphatic system,
and bone and muscle system are widely present throughout
the whole body. Additionally, there are also other forms of existence as seen in the nerve system with its branches stretching through the entire body despite the presence of the central
system. Aside from the forms of the above organs in a living
body, an investigation was made into the advantages to begained from arranging artificial organs in a living body andrelated technical problems when the emphasis is placed on
small dispersible artificial hearts. Those small artificial organs
represent an important subject for development in inducing
organs from biocells outside the body and maintaining them.
2) Microsensing technology in artificial organs
Various sensors to measure the state of a living body are
required for actuating artificial organs in harmony with theliving body. Attempts have been made in the past to miniaturize those sensors by making use of micromachine technology.
For instance, a micro pressure sensor, pioneered in the medical
application of micromachine technology, constitutes a very important part indispensable to modern medicine. The conditions
to be sensed by artificial organs include physical quantities,
such as a blood pressure, blood flow volume, airway pressure,and temperature, and chemical quantities, such as insulin concentration, blood sugar level, and oxygen partial pressure. Every sensor measures physical and chemical quantities while
keeping contact with a living body in some form or other. Whatmatters most in this connection is the stability at an interface

8

between a living body and an artificial object. The problem forphysical sensor is maintaining prolonged stability in measurement and that for chemical sensor is service life.
3) Artificial nerves and artificial sensors
The artificial nerve is an organ that receives and sends
information by connecting the nerve system of a living bodywith an electronic circuit. Various nerve electrodes have beendeveloped by applying micromachine technology to gain electric signal from the nerve system of a living body. Coding rules
are also being clarified gradually, though still in the exploratory stage, so that information can be received from and sent
to a living body using electric signals. The technique developed
here has attained a level so high that products in an early stage
can be marketed, including an artificial cochlear implant anda cerebral auditory implant as solutions to auditory problems.
Although those products have enabled hearing to some extent,
they are much inferior to healthy people in sensing quality.
This is because the coding rules are not yet fully understoodfor the exchange of information with a living body, resulting ina failure to transfer appropriate signals to the living body. For
high-quality signal transfer, the application of micromachinetechnology is indispensable, including the techniques of developing devices constructed with the steric integration of a multitude of nerve electrodes and the microsensing techniques of
selecting object nerve fibers.
4) Hybrid tissues using intercellular substances
Cells in each organ tissue are arranged with their own
structures. An intercellular substance between them not only
maintains those tissue structures, but also constitutes two systems: one is to transport various materials to and from thecells, and the other is to transfer intercellular information
through chemical factors. The intercellular substance with sucha structure is not produced by simply cultivating cells alone.
As one approach to the development of an artificial organ using biocells, an attempt was made to structure cultured cells
similar to bio-tissue using an artificial intercellular substanceso that the functions of an organ could be realized. Micromachine technology has been applied to the modification and formation of high-molecular compounds from which intercellular
substances are formed, and to the control of the configurationof cells.
5) Control of the forms and functions of cells by mechanical stresses
It has been revealed that cells, in reaction to mechanicalstresses, undergo changes in form, cell function, and gene expression. It is highly likely that an appropriate application of
mechanical stresses in the development of artificial organs
using biocells may promote the induction of cellular substances
and the formation of tissue structures. The possibility was therefore probed of applying micromachines to the measurement
and control of cell forms against mechanical stresses and thecontrol and measurement of cell membranes on a molecularlevel.

Fukui Mciromachine Seminar
Fukui Micromachine Seminar was held in theafternoon of September 22 (Friday), 2000 at theIndustrial Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture
in Fukui City, sponsored by Micromachine Center,
Fukui Association of Industry Technology and Industrial Technology Center of Fukui Prefectureand supported by Center for Cooperative Researchin Science & Technology, Fukui University andResearch Center for Advanced Technology, Fukui
National College of Technology.
In this seminar, cutting-edge micromachinetechnologies were explained and the Industrial
Science and Technology Frontier Program Project,“Micromachine Technology Research and Development”, which is now being conducted mainly byMicromachine Center, was outlined. Further, four
concrete achievements were reported.
During recess, the portable exhibits of micromachine technology, “1mmØ SMA Micro Actuator”(OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO., LTD.) and “A Small
Ladybug Actuator” (SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.) that
had been brought to the venue were displayed andexplanations were given by Mr. Kazuhiro Honma.
In addition, Mr. Tomohiko Kawai introduced amicro ultra-precision machining trial product, giving the audience a precious opportunity to learn
about micromachine technology.
Mr. Mitsuyasu Matsuo, Staff Researcher of Creative & Advanced Research Department of Industrial Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture acted
as MC and presided at the meeting.
During the seminar, after an address by Mr.
Masami Maeda, General Manager of Creative &Advanced Research Department of Industrial
Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture, Mr.
Takayuki Hirano, Executive Director of MMC,
Professor Tokio Kitahara of Shonan Institute ofTechnology and Mr. Kazuhiro Honma, General
Manager of Research Department of MMC delivered lectures “MMC Activities”, “Features ofMicromachines” and “Outline of the Second Phaseof Micromachine Project”, respectively.
In addition, during the presentation of achievements of the Industrial Science and Technology
Frontier Project, the following lectures were delivered:“A Control Method for Gathering Patterns ofDistributed Micromachines” by Mr. Yoshiki
Shimomura, Technical Group of KAWASAKIHEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
“Micro Optical Scanning Sensor with Multilayer Stacked Device Structure” by Mr. Hiromi
Totani, Central R&D Laboratory, Corporate Research and Development H. Q. of OMRON Corporation.
“Development of a Flexible Shaped Battery” by
Mr. Kensuke Muraishi, Research Laboratory of
MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION.
“Ultra-precision micro structuring by means ofmechanical machining” by Mr. Tomohiko
Kawai, Basic Research Laboratory of FANUC
LTD.

A scene from the Fukui Micromachine Seminar

Display of the portable micromachine technology exhibits

Many people showed a considerable interest in
this seminar and a total of 100 people attended,
including 55 people from 32 companies involvedin the precision machinery industry, textile industry, eyeglasses frame producing industry, semiconductor processes and materials for them in Fukui
Prefecture, Nara Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture, as well as 45 people from the universities,
research laboratories and public institutions.
Lively discussions took place after the lectures andenjoyed a meaningful seminar.

9The 6th Forthcoming International
Micromachine Symposium
The 6th International Micromachine Symposium, anannual event held in the autumn, will be held as usual
on November 9 (Thursday) and 10 (Friday), 2000 at the
Science Hall of Science Museum located in Kitanomaru
Park in Tokyo.
This year’s symposium has been planned by the organizing committee (committee chairman: Professor
Naomasa Nakajima, Graduate School of The Universityof Tokyo) and the specific programs and the guest speakers have now been finalized by the program committee(committee chairman: Professor Hiroyuki Fujita, The
University of Tokyo). Furthermore, an advisory board
has been established, comprising 9 chief representatives
from Europe and the United States who participated in
the 6th Micromachine Summit held in Hiroshima thisyear, in order to reflect international perspectives andto enrich the content of the symposium.
Guest speakers will deliver lectures on the first day.
During Session 1 “Opening”, guest speakers from the
Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Agency
of Industrial Science and Technology, and New Energy
and Industrial Technology Development Organization
will give opening speeches, followed by a special lecture
to be given by Professor Shinichi Nitta, Vice Presidentof Tohoku University, entitled “Advances in micromachines and artificial internal organs”. It is expected that
he will give a valuable lecture on micromachine technology and artificial internal organs based on his wideranging viewpoints.
During the morning of the first day, the following
four lectures concerning the industrialization will bedelivered:
Session 2 The Path to New Industries in the
21st Century
International Collaboration in MEMS:
Prof. Dominique COLLARD, IEMNMEMS Standardization Course:
Dr. Michael GAITAN, NIST
Challenge to MEMS Commercialization:
Prof. Kyoichi IKEDA,
Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology
MEMS Opportunities in Photonic Communication Networks:
Prof. Ming C. WU, UCLA
After lunch, three sessions are planned for the afternoon.
Firstly in the afternoon, the session “Thinking ofMicromachines” is scheduled. This session has beenplanned in order to consider the future of micromachinefrom broader perspectives and has enjoyed a good reputation every year. This year, the relation between

10

micromachines and health will be considered in thissession; the keyword is “Health”. We plan to invite three
persons both from Japan and abroad who are conducting cutting-edge research in this field.
Session 3 Thinking of Micromachines – HealthCare & Micromachine –Approach to Common Diseases – How can new
useful genes and/or polymorphisms be found? – :Prof. Mitsuo ITAKURA, Tokushima University
Telehealth and ICT Industries:
Prof. Masako MIYAZAKI, University of Alberta
Future in Robotic Surgery: Lessons learned
from “da Vinci”:
Prof. Makoto HASHIZUME, Kyushu University
We will then invite four persons from abroad to report on the most recent trends in foreign countries.
Session 4 Overseas Activities
From Reseach to Applications : Experiences of
HSG-IMIT:Prof. Hermann SANDMAIER, IMIT
Recent Activities in Italy:
Prof. Paolo DARIO, Scuola Superiore San’t Annna
Activity in Canadian MEMS Research and Commercialization:
Mr. Dan GALE,
Canadian Microelectronics Corporation
Recent Micromachine Research and Development Activities in Korea:
Dr. Young-Ho CHO, KAISTFor the finale of the first day, four persons will introduce new research activities in which major new developments are expected.
Session 5 Innovative R&D
Power Microelectromechanical Systems (PowerMEMS): Prof. Shuji TANAKA, Tohoku University
Micro Thermodynamics: Prof. Takayoshi INOUE,
Tokyo Institute of Technology
New Approaches to Chemistry and Biochemistry through Microchip Technology:
Prof. Teruo FUJII, University of Tokyo
MEMS for Microwave/MM-wave Applications:
Prof. Koji MIZUNO, Tohoku University
On the second day, the state of progress of the Industrial Science and Technology Frontier Project,“Micromachine Technology” of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, Ministry of International Tradeand Industry, will be reported.
Firstly, Mr. Yoshikazu Yamaguchi, Director of Agency

of Industrial Science and Technology will make a general speech on this subject, and then persons from threenational research institutes (Mechanical Engineering
Laboratory, Electrotechnical Laboratory and National
Research Laboratory of Metrology) will deliver lectureson the present state of their research efforts and thefuture prospects for micromachine technology. The chiefof Research and Development Department of our Center and four working group leaders will then give a summary of the second phase of the research and development of the Industrial Science and Technology project,
and report on the trend survey of the technology. After
that, researchers from among the supporting membersof the R&D project will report on the details of the latest results of the Industrial Science and Technology
project. The speakers and the titles of their lectures are
as follows:
Session 6 Current Status of MicromachineTechnology Project in ISTF Program
Overview of ISTF Program:
Mr. Yoshikazu YAMAGUCHI,
Director for Machinery and Aerospace R&D,
AIST, MITI
Research and Development on Micromachines
at Mechanical Engineering Laboratory:
Dr. Shigeru KOKAJI,
Mechanical Engineering Laboratory AIST, MITI
Research on Micromachine Technology atElectrotechnical Laboratory:
Dr. Shigeoki HIRAI,
Electrotechnical Laboratory, AIST, MITI
Precision Measurement Standards & Micromachine:
Dr. Mitsuru TANAKA,
National Research Laboratory of Metrology,
AIST, MITIThe Outline of the Micromachine Project:
Mr. Tatsuaki ATAKA,
R&D Committee, Micromachine Center
Experimental Wireless Micromachine for Inspection on Inner Surface of Tubes:
Dr. Nobuaki KAWAHARA, Micromachine Center
Experimental Chain-type Micromachine for Inspection on Outer Surface of Tubes:
Mr. Munehisa TAKEDA, Micromachine Center
Experimental Catheter-type Micromachine for
Repair in Narrow Complex Areas:

Mr. Ryo OHTA, Micromachine Center
Experimental Processing and Assembling System (Microfactory):
Mr. Kazuyoshi FURUTA, Micromachine Center
Development of Micro Coating Device:
Mr. Koichi IRISA, Aisin Cosmos R&D Co., Ltd.
Development of Microconnector Utilizing Deep
X-ray Lithography Technique:Mr. Tomohiko KANIE,
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd
Wafer Level Three-dimensional Integration
Technology for MEMS:
Mr. Akinobu SATOH, Fujikura Ltd.
Micro Force/Torque Measurement for Micromachines:
Mr. Yasushi ONOE, Yokogawa Electric Corp.
Development of a Microfine Active Bending
Catheter:Mr. Hideyuki ADACHI, Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
Ultra-high Precision Machining Technology ofMicro Structure:
Mr. Hiroya TERASHIMA, Fanuc Ltd.
The Micro-parts Conveyance Unit with CoilModule:Mr. Yasumasa WATANABE,
Fuji Electric Corp. R&D , Ltd.
For your information, the 11th Micromachine Exhibition will be held on the ground floor of the Science
Museum from November 8, 2000. A wide variety of companies, universities, and organizations involved in micromachine technology, including the supporting research members of our center will exhibit their products. The supporting member companies and three national research institutes will be displaying the specificresults of their micromachine technology mainly
achieved via the Industrial Science and Technology
project. We believe that this symposium and the micromachine exhibition will provide a great opportunity toeffectively obtain a comprehensive picture of cuttingedge micromachine technology. The participants of this
symposium can freely gain admission to the micromachine exhibition by simply showing the participation
cards.
The deadline for applications to the symposium is
October 27, 2000. If seats are available, applications will
be received on the day so that as many people as possible are able to attend this symposium.

11

SANYO ElectricCo., Ltd.
1. The Challenge of Micromachine Technology
With the 21st century close at hand, Information
Technology (IT) as typified by the Internet and the technological innovation to cope with environmental protection movements around the world are progressing rapidly. In order to be prepared for such technological innovation, SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. has long promoted research and development activities by formulating two
major technological strategies, namely, user-friendly“Multi-media” and environmentally-friendly “Clean
Energy”, under the corporate slogan of “We love people
and the planet earth”. Among others, we have identified micromachine-related technology as a fundamental technology that may facilitate innovations in thisbusiness field in the 21st century, and have also participated in an Industrial Science and Technology Frontier
project in an attempt to promote the development ofdevice technology.
2. Development of Micromachine Technology
Regarding the development of micromachine technology under the Industrial Science and Technology
Frontier project, we have been engaged in the development of photon energy transmission system technologythat transmits energy wirelessly using light, and which
is designed to be installed in the “Wireless micromachinefor inspection on inner surface of tubes” that moves wirelessly in the piping of the power generating facility andtransmits environmental information on the internalsurface of the piping to the outside.
To date, we have developed a high-voltage micro
photovoltaic device (which generates a voltage of 207
V/cm2, the world’s highest) and a micro photovoltaic device to be mounted on a curved surface (which can bemounted on surfaces with a curvature radius up to 2mm). (Refer to Fig. 1.)
Based on these micro photovoltaic device forming

2 mm

Fig. 1 High-voltage micro photovoltaic device (left) andmicro photoelectric conversion device that can bemounted on a curved surface

12

Fusao Terada
Officer
General Manager
R&D Headquarters
technologies, we are now engaged in the development ofan advanced technology that will enable higher voltage
and higher output, as well as system technologies suchas sophisticated energy supply technology that enables
a multiple voltage supply that may be utilized in lightenergy transmission devices equipped with new opticalcommunications functions.
The recent results of our research and development
efforts include “Advanced integrated micro wiring formation technology” and “Multiple voltage supply technology”. The former technology realizes the high speed
formation (approx. 10 µm/s) of high step coverage micro
wiring, by selectively forming tungsten deposits bymeans of the direct drawing type laser CVD method with
2 wavelength excitation that may be used to make theelectrical connections at any places in the micro structures. (Refer to Fig. 2.) Utilizing the latter technology,
photovoltaic devices have been developed that can bemounted in the self-propelled environment recognition
system in the piping, and can supply voltages of 80 V
and −7 V in piping 10 φmm in diameter. (Refer to Fig. 3.)
3. Future Stance
We would like to further evolve the device technologies such as the high-precision micromachining technology and photon energy transmission technology for
micromachines that we have accumulated while participating in the Industrial Science and Technology Frontier project, and apply them to our new business fields,
thereby developing totally new, market-creating products.

300 µmFig. 2 Tungsten micro wiringFig. 3 Micro photovoltaic device

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC
INDUSTRIES, Ltd.
1. The Challenge of Micromachine Technology
The rapid growth of information and telecommunications technology offers immeasurable business opportunities to our company, since our main
products are the electric wires and cables that support this technology. In order for our company totake advantage of current trends and to make
rapid progress, it is essential not only to further
develop our accumulated technologies, but also to
integrate them with new, innovative technologies.
We are engaged in R&D activities, aiming at LIGA
technology based on our synchrotron radiation (SR)technology.
2. Development of Micromachine Technology
We have been participating in a governmentsponsored R&D project and conducting element
technology development for the LIGA process andits applied researches. During the 1st phase of thenational R&D project, we have developed a highsensitivity resist and high transparency mask, thatenables deep lithography with an industrial smallsized SR, conventionally carried out using a medium-sized SR. Furthermore, we have developed
a technology that casts and bakes a slurry withthe resist mold, thereby improving the ceramic’s
micromachining limit from 100 µm to 20 µm orless (refer to Fig. 1). This technology has contributed to the realization of the composite piezoelectric devices, an underwater signal oscillating device whose development had long been hoped for,in which a large number of micro piezoelectric ceramic rods stand close together in the resin sheet.
This device has many strong points such as highresolution, high S/N ratio, broad band, etc. We havedeveloped and commercialized the mass-produc-

Hiroshi Takada
General Manager,
Harima Research Laboratories

tion process because this device can break throughthe problems involved in ultrasonic examination.
During the second phase of the national R&D
project, we were engaged in the development of
micro connectors to be used for inspection on outersurface of tubes. This connector is equipped with
an electromagnetic actuator for automatic insertion and removal. The combination of the actuator’s structure and the terminal structure shownin Fig. 2 has realized a connector system having alarge alignment tolerance. We believe it is highly
likely that these connectors will be put into practical use in the field of electronic components packaging, where densification is expected to accelerate.
Spring terminal(8µm in width, 80µm in height)

2.5 mmFig. 2 Micro-connector (receptacle)

3. Future StanceFig. 1 Ceramics rod array(25 µm square, 250 µm in height)

Since LIGA technology will help realize an aspect ratio of more than 30 and machining accuracy of ± 0.5 µm, and will also be applicable to machining of various types of materials such as metals, resins or ceramics, it is a highly promising
micromachine technology. We would like to expand
the fields of its application by seeking integrationof the LIGA technology and other micromachinetechnologies, while striving for cost reductions. We
are committed to producing the unique products
toward the 21st century.

13

The 2000 Micromachine Mission to Europe
In conjunction with the holding of micromachine
seminars in Europe, Japanese mission members visited
some local research institutes.
Industrial Institute of Electronics (PIE)
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 5
Parties met with: Dr. Jerzy Kern, Prof. Marek Genera,
and others
The wide-ranging scope of research conducted by PIE
includes work in mechatronics, automation, and machineprocessing.
Institute of Electronic Materials Technology(ITME)
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 5
Parties met with: Prof. Dr. Andrzej Jelenski, Mr. Tadeusz
Zero, and others
The Institute of Electronic Materials Technology(ITME) consists of 280 employees and 12 professors.
Funding for its operations is drawn from three sources:
40% from government-subsidized academic research,
40% from technology and product development projects,
and 20% from sales-generated income. ITME researchers devote much of their effort to such research topics
as (1) special single-crystal materials, such as silicon
and high-temperature superconductors, (2) glass materials, including fiberscopes and optical filters, and (3)epitaxial technology. ITME reportedly sells products insome of these areas, such as glass materials (filters andimage guides), single-crystal materials, and masks.
University of Mining and Metallurgy, Department
of Electronics
Location: Krakow, Poland
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 6
Parties met with: Prof. Stanislaw Nowak, Prof. Tadeusz
Pisarkiewicz, Dr. Andrzej Kolodziej, and others
The University of Mining and Metallurgy, whichbecame an independent institution in 1919, has a fac-

At the Industrial Institute of Electronics in Poland

14

ulty of 106 professors and a staff of 3,828. This engineering school consists of 14 departments specializing
in such areas as mining, metallic materials, and electricity and electronics. The Department of Electronics,
which welcomed the mission members, has just embarked on MEMS activities. It wants to develop this newundertaking as a core technology. At the time of the visit,
researchers were exploring such themes as MEMS structural drawing using CAD and device evaluation techniques. While the department does not have a cleanroom, it has been undertaking µ TAS (micro total analysis system) manufacturing on a trial basis using foundry
facilities in Europe.
Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt
Location: Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Date: Thursday, Sept. 7
Parties met with: Prof. Helmut Detter, Dr. Gordana
Popovic of the Technical University of Vienna, and others
Located in Wiener Neustadt, which is less than anhour’s drive from Vienna, this Fachhochschule (FH) is auniversity that specializes in engineering and emphasizes practical educational research. One of six FH institutions in Austria, this school was established in 1994.
Its student body totals 1,400. Prof. Detter, who serves
as its president, is also a professor at the Technical University of Vienna (TU). Working jointly with TU, thisFH is moving ahead with research in such areas asbiosensors and microsensors, precision manufacturing,
micromechanisms, simulations, and optical devices.
The two schools also take a proactive approachto spinning research results into business ventures. They
have set up a venture company and are pursuing thecommercialization of a micro-molding machine. The
Technology and Research Center, a facility aimed at fostering the development of venture businesses, is locatedin an industrial park adjacent to this FH. The membersof the mission from Japan toured this center, which isscheduled to open this autumn.

At the Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt in Austria

Micromachine Seminars in Europe
Seminars were held in Warsaw, Vienna, andLausanne as part of an industry trade mission
disptached to Europe by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) from Sept. 2 to 13, 2000. The seminars were organized jointly with local research institutions and organizations involved in the field of
micromachines in Poland, Austria, and Switzerland. The
objective of the three seminars, which are described
below, was to disseminate information about
micromachine technology in Japan and to provide opportunities at each location for interaction with representatives of micromachine organizations and specialists in this field.

Attendance: 40 participants (primarily from universities and research institutes located in and around Warsaw, Krakow, and other Polish cities)
Organized jointly with Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, this seminar featured six lectures given
by speakers from Polish university circles and thecountry’s national research laboratory facilities. They
addressed such subjects as biosensors and sensors forchemical analysis. A discussion open to all participantsprior to the seminar’s conclusion produced a lively exchange of views concerning the possibility of cooperation between the micromachine industry in Japan andresearch organizations in Poland.

<Lectures by members of the Japanese mission>“Future Prospect of Micromachine”
Takayuki Hirano, Micromachine Center

2. Joint Japan-Austria Seminar on MEMS
Date: Friday, Sept. 8
Location: Technical University of Vienna, Austria
Attendance: 95 (from the Austrian business, academic,
and research communities)
This well-attended seminar, which was held in cooperation with such local organizations as the AustrianSociety for Microsystem Technology, was extremely wellreceived. Nine presentations made by speakers from
Austrian universities and companies focused on
micromachine technology research and development
activities that specifically target applications in such
spheres as telecommunications networks, the utilization of outer space, automobiles, and materials science.

“Medical Application of Micromachines”
Oyo Ota, Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
“The Microfactory in Japanese National R&D
Projects”
Tatsuaki Ataka, Seiko Instruments Inc.
“Multiple Distributed Micromachine System”
Koji Naemura, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation“In-pipe Wireless Inspection Micromachine”
Nobuaki Kawahara, Denso Corporation<Seminar highlights>
1. Joint Seminar Poland-Japan on Micromachining
Date: Monday, Sept. 4
Location: Industrial Institute of Electronics, Warsaw,
Poland

3. Swiss/Japan Micro-technology Seminar
Date: Monday, Sept. 11
Location: Ecole Polytechnique federale de Lausanne(EPFL), Switzerland
Attendance: 35 (primarily from universities and businesses)
This seminar was held in cooperation with such organizations as the Ecole Polytechnique federale deLausanne (EPFL). The Swiss segment of the program
included reports by representatives of the EPFL andthe University of Neuchatel on four research initiatives,
including projects related to piezo actuators, nano tools
designed for utilization under microscopes, and GHzrange resonators.

Seminar in Warsaw

Seminar in Vienna“Micromachined Silicon Sensors”
Hideto Iwaoka, Yokogawa Electric Corporation“Applications of Deep X-ray Lithography”
Yoshihiro Hirata, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

15

The Technical Report: “Measurement and Evaluation Methods ofMicromachine”

Professor Kimiyuki Mitsui

Faculty of Science and Technology,
Keio University
Micromachine technology has engendered greathopes as a technology that will be the support and driving force of promising industrial fields in the future. This
technology is a typical interdisciplinary technology thatspans multiple fields including mechanical engineering,
electrical engineering, physics, science, biology, medical
science, etc. At present, it is in the basic research anddevelopment stage and concrete product images are notnecessarily clear. However, the R&D efforts on individual
element technologies are producing specific results, and
it is expected that their applications will exert a major
influence on a wider range of industrial fields. In orderto facilitate the advancement of such micro-machinetechnology and to encourage its use across a wider range
of industrial fields, standardization appears to be essential. To this end, the Measurement and Evaluation
Method Working Group of The Committee on Micromachine Standardization in the Micromachine Center (Measurement and Evaluation Method WG) has conducted a research study with the aim of promoting thestandardization of the measurement and evaluation
method, in the hope that it will be used as the basis for
micromachine technology.
Based on the results of a questionnaire survey conducted in fiscal 1993 that polled national research institutes and the R&D supporting members, the shapes
and dimensions, forces and torques, fluid-related andmaterial characteristics were selected as target fields
since the necessity of conducting measurements using
micromachine technology was deemed to be highest inthese areas. The first to the third items shown above
were started in fiscal 1994 and the item on material
characteristics in fiscal 1995.
During fiscal 1999, the results of the research studies were compiled and published in June, 2000 as a technical report from the Micromachine Center.
The major objectives of the publication of the technical report are firstly to propose the items that require
standardization of measurement technologies in the fieldof micromachining and to compile the contents of thereports on the research studies conducted from fiscal
1994 to fiscal 1998. This technical report describes theresults of the literature researches in various fields, theirsources as well as a summary of each document, so we
believe it will be useful for the researchers and engineers who have an interest in this issue.
This technical report is an A-5 size booklet with 369
pages, with individual chapters compiled by each subworking group (SWG) on “Shapes and dimensions”,“Forces and torques”, “Fluid-related” and “Material characteristics”. In order to illustrate the overview of the16

contents, a summary (suggestions) of the results of research conducted by each SWG is described below.
“Shapes and dimensions”
It is necessary to promote the development of thegeneral purpose measurement method and peripheraltechnologies that can be used in the measurement ofvarious types of micro components. It is expected that,by accumulating the measured data on components ofdifferent specifications using such measurement methods, the specific items that require standardization will
gradually be identified. According to the results of theneeds survey, the demand for the non-contact measurement was strong.
In order to evaluate the measurement techniques, itwill be necessary to measure the standard measuring
specimen using each measurement instrument and compare the results. By doing this, the basic properties ofeach measurement technique, items that can be measured and evaluated, as well as the degree of accuracy
will be clarified, and debate on common ground will become possible. Therefore, to promote the standardization of the measurement method, it is necessary to propose the shapes and dimensions and the materials of
the standard measuring specimens, after identifying themeasurement items to be evaluated.
It is necessary to review the dimensional tolerancesof parts whose size is 3mm or less, which are not specified by current JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards). In
order to fabricate the micromachine by combining parts,
it is necessary to secure the interchangeability of parts
and to clarify the range of allowable dimensional differences of these parts so as to facilitate automated assembling. From this viewpoint, it is necessary to conduct basic works in order to specify the dimensional tolerance of micro components.
The JIS that specifies the setting of datum affecting
the measurement of micro holes and cylinders having ahigh aspect ratio, and the curvature radius at the tip of
the gauge head of the roundness measuring instrument
is not at present applicable to the measurement of micro components, so it is necessary to revise the JIS sothat the evaluation of micro components is taken into
account.
“Forces and torques”
When we review the results of the study and examination conducted this time from the viewpoint of standardization, it becomes evident that the testing meth-ods and laboratory equipment include those converted
from commercially available products sold on the market, laboratory equipment fabricated independently forspecific purposes, test specimens in miniature size madeof silicon, etc. Each test method is mainly worked out
based on the ideas of individual researchers in order toachieve the utmost limit of the resolution (accuracy) or
to widen the range of measurement.
In the future, it will be necessary to establish laboratory equipment, experimental conditions, methods forexperiments, and methods for evaluation that will becommon worldwide. At least in the field of measurementof forces and torques, it is necessary to adopt an evaluation method that is universally acceptable in order that
discussions may be conducted on the same ground worldwide. A problem in the measurement of forces andtorques when viewed in terms of measurement needs isthat, as expected, there are cases where measurements
below the measurable range of the measuring instrument sold on the market are required. In addition, it
has been clarified that the measurement of a micro portion is required and that care must be exercised toward
the influence by displacement on force and/or torquegenerated by the actuator.
The increased necessity for the measurement of micro portions is inevitable because the size of the micro
actuator has been reduced. However, as the size of theactuator is made smaller, the absolute stroke (movable
range) decreases, so that a corrective measure must be
taken because, in the deflection method, the displacement of the measuring point due to the deformation of
the measuring instrument by the generated force largely
influences the apparent measured value, while on theother hand, in the measurement of torques, the accurate setting of the measuring point is required, including the accuracy of the measuring radius.
“Fluid-related”
For mechanical fluid control devices, we compiled alist of the existing methods for measuring the properties of the micro pumps, micro valves and flow rate sensors. While there are many studies utilizing electro-osmotic flow for non-mechanical fluid control devices, someother devices and control methods have also been proposed; such situation necessitates the establishment ofa standard method for evaluating the properties. However, since it is difficult to evaluate the properties of asingle device, it is necessary to develop simulation technology intended for fluid analysis and setup a proper
database for that purpose.
In order to set up the database efficiently, unification of the measurement methods and the measurement
data shared by the research organs is necessary. Therefore, in order to promote the standardization of the devices, normalization of the evaluation items and evaluation parameters are of urgent necessity.
Peculiarities of the micro fluids physical phenomena are gradually being elucidated, in the form of thecoefficients of viscous friction and pressure distributionof the micro channel flow, however, on the whole, theexperimental data are insufficient and contradictorydata exist. In order to standardize the measurement of
the physical quantities of pressure, etc., it is necessary
to record accurate information on the measurement
items, resolution, shapes of channels and their materials, working fluids and their properties as well as themeasurement environment, in addition to the specifications for the measurement instruments. If the physicalmodels in the micro regions are elucidated through theaccumulation of experimental data, the numerical simulation will become key technology in designing and developing high performance micro fluid devices.
“Material properties”
Concerning the individual methods for testing thematerials for micromachines: In the tensile test, thethickness of the test specimen is in the unit of sub-µm
to several tens of µm, so that the flexural rigidity of thetest specimen is extremely small; therefore, it is necessary to specify that the method for handling and attaching the specimen to the tester should not influence thesystem of measurement. Furthermore, due to the internal structures of the materials and the dimensions of
the test specimens, handling similar to the conventional
macroscopic material properties may be difficult.
For the bending test, there are large differences inthe shape and size of the test specimens, the size of the
support and the distance between supporting points, sothat there are many points to consider when applying itto the testing of materials for micromachines. The test
method using a cantilever seems to be a simple and easymeasurement method because it is not difficult to produce and support the test specimen. With respect to thistest method, there are many reports that the modulus
of elasticity is measured instead of the flexural strength.
The reason for this may be that since it is assumed thatthe moving part operates in the elastic region, the modulus of elasticity alone is the point of concern and otherparameters are not so important in practical use.
Of the various hardness test methods, the Vickers
hardness test has been widely used to evaluate the mechanical properties of membranes. However, in the fieldof micromachines, the indentation test using a micro
indentator (nano-indentation) has come to be used, andISO is considering standardization of the test method
and certification of the tester.
One method for measuring the elastic modulus using the resonance method is the non-destructive andnon-contact testing, which seems to be an appropriate
method for measuring the material properties, provided
that attention is paid to the measurement conditions
such as the influence of air damping, etc., in order tosecure a valid measured value.
JIS specify the fixed temperature loading test
method and the fixed strain thermal cycle test method
for the shape memory alloy coil springs as an exampleof the functional materials. The test method for the functional device is specified in addition to material properties.

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Latest Micromachining
Technology — Part 3
Miniaturization of Mechanical Processing —Precision Machining
Professor Kazuo Sato
Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University
In the first and second issues, the technologies to produce
microstructures using etching or thin-film formation based on
the photolithography were explained. This issue describes cutting, grinding and polishing that have long been known as
machining techniques, as well as the relatively new processes
such as electro-discharge machining and beam processing,which are all categorized as “Precision Machining”. Figure 1
shows the configurations of cutting, grinding, polishing, electrodischarge machining and beam processing.
Fig. 2 Example of a screw fabricated by fine cutting(Courtesy of Dr. Y. Yamagata and Prof. T. Higuchi)

Fig. 1 Configuration of precision machining processes(a) cutting, (b) grinding, (c) polishing, (d) electrodischarge machining, (e) beam processing
1. Cutting, grinding and polishing
Cutting, together with grinding and polishing, has long beenused to produce sophisticated 3-D shapes from metalic materials. In order to achieve micromachining using cutting, the following are prerequisite:(1) The cutting edge of the tool is sharp; it cuts well.
(2) The relative movement of the tool and the work material isaccurate.
To achieve (1), a small diamond chip that is hard and has asmall friction coefficient is used for the tool. For (2), a mechanism that provides firm and precise rotational and linear motion to the tool and/or the work material as well as a mechanism that feeds the tool accurately are required. Figure 2 shows
an example of a screw shaft of approx. 0.1mm in diameter fabricated using the micromachining lathe developed by Higuchi
et al. of The University of Tokyo.
Grinding removes the work by rotating the grinding wheel
made of fine abrasive grains at high speed. Since each of alarge number of cutting edges removes the work little by little,

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the affected layer is generally less than that of cutting and thesurface finish is relatively smooth. However, in the grinding
method, it is assumed that the abrasive grains come off thegrinding wheel, making it inadequate for the purpose of fabricating minute shapes. The grinding wheel wears drastically, sothat making a small grinding wheel would be pointless, andtherefore, grinding is rarely used for fabricating minute shapes.
Polishing is generally used to obtain a fine surface with aless affected layer, or to obtain a flat surface on a relatively
large area, rather than for fabricating shapes. In order to obtain a flat surface on a relatively large area, polishing is widelyused, for example, for the processing of the surfaces of silicon
substrates to be used as the substrates of LSI, and for the final
finishing processing of the magnetic disc record heads, etc. With
the surface processing application of the single crystal substrates in particular, polishing is essential for fabricating the
SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) substrates on the surface of whicha thin single crystal layer of the order of microns thick is left
and for the CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) processing
in which the irregular surface resulted from the fabrication of
LSI is made flat in order to apply 3-D wiring onto the LSI surface. Even micromachines working on silicon substrates will
benefit from a polishing technique that smoothes surfaces whenutilizing the silicon-on-insulator substrates or adhering two
substrates together, etc.
2. Electro-discharge machining
The principle of electro-discharge machining is as follows:a controlled discharge pulse is generated between the electrodeand the work material, and its heat energy melts, spatters andremoves the work material. Conventionally, this machining
method was mainly used for machining of hard materials thatwere difficult to process; for example, machining of cemented
carbide used for punches and dies for plastic forming of met-

als. The electro-discharge machining has attracted attention
because, although its machining efficiency is low, it can achieve
micromachining, and its application for fabricating micromachines is currently being studied. When the electrode is miniaturized, a new technical problem occurs where the vibration
and wear of the electrode deteriorates machining accuracy. A
machining system, in which the thin wire that constitutes theelectrode is veered away and the vibration of the wire is prevented, was developed by Masuzawa et al. of The University ofTokyo and is in practical use. Figure 3 shows an example of thefabrication of miniature parts that is processed by micro electrodischarge machining. Electro-discharge machining can achieve
processing of 3-D shapes equivalent to that achieved by turning, milling and drilling machines, so that 3-D machining witha high degree of freedom is possible. On the other hand, one ofthe disadvantages of the electro-discharge machining is thefact that the finished surface is coarse because the surface iscovered by marks due to electro-discharging. In the event thata smooth surface finish is required, it is necessary to polish thesurface afterwards. Other disadvantages or reasons why theapplication of the electro-discharge machining is limited include its low removal rate and the unclean machining environment.

Fig. 3 Example of electrodischarge machining(Courtesy of Matsushita Electric Co. Ltd.)
3. Beam processing
The material can be partly melted, sputtered, evaporated
and removed by irradiating an energy beam of a small diameter such as a laser beam, electron beam or an ion beam, etc.
Any shape can be fabricated by scanning the beam or changing the irradiating positions by moving the work material.
The laser beam includes one that melts, sputters and evaporates the material using heat energy by means of long-wave
length light sources such as CO2 and YAG laser. and one that
decomposes and evaporates the material by directly breaking
the bonds between the molecules of the material by means of ashort-wavelength light source, such as the eximer laser. Generally, laser beam processing is applied to the fabrication ofholes in various types of materials such as metal, plastic, andceramics.
Electron beams and ion beams are electrically charged
particles that are accelerated by the electric field and strike
the work material with a high energy force. While the electron
beam removes the work material mainly by the agency of heat,
the ion beam removes the material mainly by physical impact.
The electron beam processing melts and evaporates the material, so that like the thermal laser processing, the molten materials may get re-deposited to the work surface. The ion beamprocessing does not inflict thermal damage to the work material, so that it is applied to the preparation of cross-sectional
samples to be observed using an electron microscope.
On the other hand, when the electrically charged particles
such as electrons and ions are irradiated on the surface of theinsulating material, the surface is electrostatically charged andthereby the speed of the subsequent ion is decelerated, resulting in decreased machining efficiency. In order to avoid thisproblem, machining is executed by a beam electrically neutralized, which can be achieved by irradiating an electron beam
to the accelerated ion beam. A device that conducts the
micromachining using an argon atom beam has been developed on this priciple.
Table 1 shows the working principle, advantages and disadvantages of the precision machining processes describedabove.
Table 1 Working principle, advantages and disadvantagesof precision machining processes
Workingprinciple

Advantages

Disadvantages

Track of tool
Physical removal
Potential tomarks, Difficult toof work by cutting fabricate arbitrary
fabricate small
3-D shapes
tool
holes
Difficult to make a
Physical removal Relatively smooth small abrasive
Grinding of work by boundwheel, Smallsurface finish
holes cannot be
abrasivefabricatedPhysical removal
Excellent smooth Difficult to control
of work by
Polishingsurface profiles
dispersed
surface finish
abrasive particles
Electro- Splashing melted
Coarsening ofApplicable forsurface, Low
Discharge work by electric
hardmaterials
removal rate
Machiningdischarge
Splashing melted,
Deposition of
evaporated, orBeamsplashed
Applicable fordecomposed
Processmaterials on thehard materials
materials bying
work surface
irradiation
Cutting

4. Consideration on the application fields
Machining can fabricate complex 3-D curved surfaces utilizing NC. In this respect, the flexibility of machining is far
superior to the lithographic processing. However, its application is limited to small-lot production, implying that it can only
be useful in limited fields of application, such as sophisticationof endoscopes and catheters, prototyping scientific instruments,
etc. In contrast, in the lithographic processing, a large numberof small machine elements to be fabricated can be arranged inprecise locations on the silicon chip, and up to one million machine elements can be fabricated on one silicon chip; it is far
superior to machining in terms of its impact on productivity inindustry. Such processing characteristics can be fully utilized
in the fields of information and telecommunications, and household appliances. As mentioned above, the characteristics ofmachining and lithographic processing are different and consequently they are used in different fields. In the meantime,attention should be paid to the combination of machining andlithographic processing. Good examples are the technology forpolishing the surfaces of silicon substrates and the mass fabrication of electro-discharge electrodes at one time utilizing lithographic processing.

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THE SIXTH INTERNATIONAL MICROMACHINE SYMPOSIUM
Foundation of Industrial Technology in the 21st Century
Date: November 9-10, 2000
Venue: Science Museum, Tokyo
Organizers: Micromachine Center / Japan Industrial Technology Association
Supporters: Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) / Agency
of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) / New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
Cooperators: The Federation of Micromachine Technology / Micromachine

Society / Research Committee on Micromechatronics / Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation / Japan Robot Association / Japan
Machinery Federation
Registration Fee: ¥15,000 (Including proceedings and reception party)
Application: Complete the symposium registration form and FAX to Micromachine Center by Oct. 27, 2000
Contact: Micromachine Center(TEL +81-3-5294-7131 FAX +81-3-5294-7137)

PROGRAM (Tentative, as of September 25, 2000)
November 9, 2000
9:00 ~
Registration
Session 1: Opening
Chairman: Mr. T. HIRANO
9:30
Opening Declaration
Mr. Takayuki HIRANO, Executive Director, Micromachine Center
9:30 ~ 9:35
Opening Remarks
Dr. Tsuneo ISHIMARU, Chairman, Micromachine Center
9:35 ~ 9:43
Guest Speech
Mr. Shinichirou OOTA, Director-General,Machinery and Information Industries Bureau, MITI
9:43 ~ 9:51
Guest Speech
Dr. Koji KAJIMURA, Director-General, AIST, MITI
9:51 ~ 10:00
Guest Speech
Mr. Hideyuki MATSUI, Chairman, NEDO
10:00 ~ 10:40
Special Guest Speech: Micromachines and Artificial Organs
Prof. Shinichi NITTA, Tohoku University
Session 2: The Path to New Industries in the 21st Century
Chairman: Prof. I. SHIMOYAMA
10:40 ~ 11:00
International Collaboration in MEMS
Prof. Dominique COLLARD, IEMN
11:00 ~ 11:25
MEMS Standardization Course
Dr. Michael GAITAN, NIST
11:25 ~ 11:45
Challenge to MEMS Commercialization
Prof. Kyoichi IKEDA, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology
11:45 ~ 12:10
MEMS Opportunities in Photonic Communication Netwoks
Prof. Ming C. WU, UCLA
12:10 ~ 13:15
Lunch
Session 3: Thinking of Micromachines — Health Care & Micromachine —Chairman: Prof. H. MIURA
13:15 ~ 13:35
Approach to Common Diseases – How can new useful genes and/or polymorphisms be found? –Prof. Mitsuo ITAKURA, Tokushima University
13:35 ~ 14:00
Telehealth and ICT Industries
Prof. Masako MIYAZAKI, University of Alberta
14:00 ~ 14:20
Future in Robotic Surgery: Lessons learned from “da Vinci”
Prof. Makoto HASHIZUME, Kyushu University
14:20 ~ 14:40
Break
Session 4: Overseas Activities
Chairman: Prof. K. IKUTA
14:40 ~ 15:00
From Reseach to Applications : Experiences of HSG-IMIT
Prof. Hermann SANDMAIER, IMIT
15:00 ~ 15:20
Recent Activities in Italy (tentative)
Prof. Paolo DARIO, Sscuola Superiore San’t Annna
15:20 ~ 15:40
Activity in Canadian MEMS Research and Commercialization
Mr. Dan GALE, Canadian Microelectronics Corporation
15:40 ~ 16:00
Recent Micromachine Research and Development Activities in Korea
Dr. Young-Ho CHO, KAIST
Session 5: Innovative R&D
Chairman: Prof. H. FUJITA
16:00 ~ 16:20
Power Microelectromechanical Systems (Power MEMS)
Prof. Shuji TANAKA, Tohoku University
16:20 ~ 16:40
Micro Thermodynamics (tentative)
Prof. Takayoshi INOUE, Tokyo Institute of Technology
16:40 ~ 17:00
New Approaches to Chemistry and Biochemistry through Microchip Technology
Prof. Teruo FUJII, University of Tokyo
17:00 ~ 17:20
MEMS for Microwave/MM-wave Applications
Prof. Koji MIZUNO, Tohoku University
18:00 ~ 20:00
Reception Party at KKR Hotel Tokyo
November 10, 2000
9:00 ~
Registration
Session 6: Current Status of Micromachine Technology Project in ISTF Program
Chairman: Mr. K. HOMMA
9:30 ~ 9:45
Overview of ISTF Program
Mr. Yoshikazu YAMAGUCHI, Director for Machinery and Aerospace R&D, AIST, MITI
Researches and Future Prospects on Micromachine Technology in National Research Laboratories
Chairman: Mr. K. HOMMA
9:45 ~ 10:00
Research and Development on Micromachines at Mechanical Engineering Laboratory
Dr. Shigeru KOKAJI, Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, AIST, MITI
10:00 ~ 10:15
Research on Micromachine Technology at Electrotechnical Laboratory
Dr. Shigeoki HIRAI, Electrotechnical Laboratory, AIST, MITI
10:15 ~ 10:30
Precision Measurement Standards & Micromachine
Dr. Mitsuru TANAKA, National Research Laboratory of Metrology, AIST, MITI
10:30 ~ 10:40
Break
R&D in Micromachine Center
Chairman: Mr. K. HOMMA
10:40 ~ 11:10
The Outline of the Micromachine Project
Mr. Tatsuaki ATAKA, R&D Committee, Micromachine Center● Systems
Chairman: Mr. K. HOMMA
11:10 ~ 11:30
Experimental Wireless Micromachine for Inspection on Inner Surface of Tubes
Dr. Nobuaki KAWAHARA, Micromachine Center
11:30 ~ 11:50
Experimental Chain-type Micromachine for Inspection on Outer Surface of Tubes
Mr. Munehisa TAKEDA, Micromachine Center
11:50 ~ 12:10
Experimental Catheter-type Micromachine for Repair in Narrow Complex Areas
Mr. Ryo OHTA, Micromachine Center
12:10 ~ 12:30
Experimental Processing and Assembling System (Microfactory)
Mr. Kazuyoshi FURUTA, Micromachine Center
12:30 ~ 13:30
Lunch● Elements
Chairman: Mr. T. ATAKA
13:30 ~ 13:50
Development of Micro Coating Device
Mr. Koichi IRISA, Aisin Cosmos R&D Co., Ltd.
13:50 ~ 14:10
Development of a Microconnector Utilizing Deep X-ray Lithography Technique
Mr. Tomohiko KANIE, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
14:10 ~ 14:30
Wafer level Three-dimensional Integration Technology for MEMS
Mr. Akinobu SATOH, Fujikura Ltd.
14:30 ~ 14:50
Micro Force/Torque Measurement for Micromachines
Mr. Yasushi ONOE, Yokogawa Electric Corp.
14:50 ~ 15:00
Break
15:00 ~ 15:20
Development of a Microfine Active Bending Catheter
Mr. Hideyuki ADACHI, Olympus Optical Co.,Ltd.
15:20 ~ 15:50
Ultra-high Precision Machining Technology of Micro Structure
Mr. Hiroya TERASHIMA, Fanuc Ltd.
15:50 ~ 16:10
The Micro-parts Conveyance Unit with Coil Module
Mr. Yasumasa WATANABE, Fuji Electric Corp. R&D, Ltd.
Session 7: Closing
Chairman: Mr. T. HIRANO
16:10 ~ 16:20
Closing Address
Mr. Hikaru HAYASHI, Managing Executive Director, Japan Industrial Technology Association:

Pictures on the cover Winning artworks in the Micromachine Drawing Contests

Rescue machine for mountaineering accidents, Mr. Drain-pipe Cleaner, Landmine detector, Little MM nurses, Pichi and Minya(from top to bottom)
MICROMACHINE No. 33
MICROMACHINE is published quarterly by Micromachine Center (MMC) to promote the international exchange
of information related to micromachines, R&D and other technical topics, and is circulated free of charge. Please
send your comments about MICROMACHINE to the publisher:
Takayuki Hirano, Executive Director, Micromachine Center (MMC)
5-F, Niikura Building, 2-2, Kanda-tsukasacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0048, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5294-7131, Fax: +81-3-5294-7137
Internet Home Page http://www.iijnet.or.jp/MMC/
Change of Address: Please send old address label and new address to the publisher.
Editorial and Production Management: Japan Technical Information Service (JATIS)
Date of Issue: October 16, 2000
© All Copyrights Reserved by MMC

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