MMC Activities..............1
Column.......................4
Overseas Trends............5
Member’s Profiles .........6
Worldwide R&D ............8

MMC Activities

The 10th International Micromachine/Nanotech Symposium
The 10th International Micromachine/Nanotech Symposium
will be held on November 11 (Thursday), 2004, at the Science
Hall of the Science Museum (Kitanomaru Park, Tokyo), and isbeing organized by the Micromachine Center.
This is the 10 t h symposium since the 1 s t International
Micromachine Symposium was held in 1995. Supported by
METI and NEDO, the symposium aims to establish anddisseminate micromachine technology, as well as promoteawareness of micromachine technologies in various industries.
Since the 8th symposium, held in 2002, its focus has widened toinclude the field of nanotechnology, with the sub-title"Foundation of Industrial Technology in the 21st Century".
The symposium was planned by the organizing committee(committee chairman: Professor Isao Shimoyama, The
University of Tokyo), and the program and guest speakers
decided by the program committee (committee chairman:
Professor Hiroyuki Fujita, The University of Tokyo).
Furthermore, to reflect international perspectives and to enrich
the content of the symposium, an advisory board has been
established comprising nine representatives from the U.S.A.,
Britain, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia,
Canada and China, who participated in the 10th Micromachine
Summit held earlier this year in Grenoble, France. Speakers
from overseas have also been invited to address the symposium.
Micromachine technologies are starting to play a crucial rolein supporting peace of mind and safety in our advanced
information society. Moreover, bold challenges in the frontier
fields of next-generation micromachines and NEMS are taking
place in response to trends in the cutting-edge technologies ofnanotechnology, biotechnology and information technology,
innovative areas of late. A variety of policies are being tried toestablish micromachines technology's status as the bedrock fornext-generation industrial technologies and the cornerstone forthe creation of new industries. The symposium plans to invite
speakers from the forefront of the field, from both Japan andabroad, to speak about the state of micromachine technologies
and their development. The symposium program will comprise
five sessions, and lectures are to be presented by four speakers
from overseas and eleven from within Japan.

During Session 1, "the Opening," the Director of theIndustrial Machinery Division in the Manufacturing Industries
Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
will address the symposium. This will be followed by a special
lecture by Professor Susumu Sugiyama of Ritsumeikan
University, director of the university's Research Center for
MicroSystem Technology, entitled "New progress of integrationand fusion in MEMS -Expectations for new industry creation."As the keynote speech of the symposium, we can expect thisInternet Home Page : http://www.mmc.or.jp/

lecture to provide valuable information about technical policies
and the future trends surrounding MEMS.
Session 2, "Micromachine technology for safe and secureadvanced information societies," will feature the following threelectures by senior figures in some industries that are closely
linked to our everyday lives -cars, information equipment andmedical devices:
1. MEMS for automotive electronics systems
2. Display and MEMS
3. State of the art technology for endoscopes
It is anticipated that these lectures will convey the power ofmicromachine technologies.
For Session 3, "New MEMS/systems and technology," wehave planned seven lectures about innovative research. The
three lectures on feasible future-oriented network systems
using MEMS include the views of Crossbow Technology Inc.,
which developed wireless sensors ideal for ubiquitousenvironment R&D, and IMEC, which focuses on research about
FR-MEMS and innovative network systems using RF-MEMS.
There will also be a variety of lectures covering subjects such as
smart skin for turbulence control using micromachinetechnology, biodevices, image sensors, and the nanoimprinting
technology that is revolutionizing micro and nanomachining.
Session 4, "Policy trends of MEMS research anddevelopment" features four lectures by speakers from Japanand overseas, and takes a look at policies to encourage MEMS
R&D. Among the lectures, Professor William C. Tang, formerly a
DARPA researcher and now professor at the University ofCalifornia, Irvine, will speak about America's strategies forresearch into biomedical applications for MEMS, and Professor
Hidetoshi Kotera of Kyoto University will talk about the
METI/NEDO MEMS design & analysis support systemdevelopment project (MEMS-ONE Project), launched in anindustry-academia consortium by Micromachine Center.
The 15 t h Micromachine Exhibition will be held at the
Science Museum from November 10 (Wednesday) to November
12 (Friday), 2004 and will feature a diversity of exhibits
presented by micromachine-related businesses, universities,
and organizations. We believe that this micromachine exhibition
and the symposium will provide a great opportunity forparticipants to obtain a clear, comprehensive picture of cuttingedge micromachine technologies, and we recommend
attendance at both events in order to see real micromachines inaction. Symposium participants can gain free admission to themicromachine exhibition simply by showing their participation
cards. The deadline for applications to attend the symposium is
October 29, 2004. If seats are available, applications will be
accepted on the day of the symposium to enable as many
people as possible to attend.

PROGRAM
November 11, 2004, Science Museum, Tokyo
8:45 ---

Registration

Session 1

Opening

Chairman: Mr. Keiichi AOYAGI

9:15 --- 9:20

Opening Remarks

Dr. Tamotsu NOMAKUCHI,
Chairman, Micromachine Center

9:20 --- 9:25

Guest Speech

Mr. Yoshinori KOMIYA, Director, Industrial
Machinery Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, METI

Special Guest Speech
9:25 --- 9:55

Session 2

New Progress of Integration and Fusion in MEMS
- Expectation for New Industry Creation Micromachine Technology for a Safeand Secure Highly Information SocietyProf. Susumu SUGIYAMA, Director, ResearchInstitute for Micro System Technology, Ritsumeikan University
RITSUMEIKAN UNIVERSITY

Chairman: Prof. Hiroki KUWANO

9:55 --- 10:25

MEMS for Automotive Electronics Systems

Mr. Touma FUJIKAWA,
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION

10:25 --- 10:55

Display and MEMS

Mr. Yutaka TAKEI,Sony Corporation

10:55 --- 11:25

State of the Art Technology for Endoscope

Mr. Hiroyuki FURIHATA,OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Session 3

New MEMS / System and Technology

11:25 --- 11:55

Anytime-Anywhere Wireless Sensor Networks- Smart Dust -Mr. John CRAWFORD,
Crossbow Technology, Inc., U.S.A.

11:55 --- 12:25

Autonomous Microsystems for Healthand Comfort Monitoring Applications

Prof. Dr. Chris Van HOOF,
IMEC, Belgium

Chairman: Prof. Hiroyuki FUJITA

12:25 --- 13:10

Lunch

13:10 --- 13:40

MEMS Network Systems

Prof. Hiroki KUWANO, Tohoku University

13:40 --- 14:10

Development of Smart Skin for Turbulence Control
with MEMS Technology

Prof. Nobuhide KASAGI,THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

14:10 --- 14:40

Advanced Biodevices Based on Nanomaterials
and Microchip Technology
and their Biomedical Applications

Prof. Eiichi TAMIYA,Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

14:40 --- 15:10

Nanoimprinting- Innovation for Micro and Nano Machining -Prof. Dr. Ryutaro MAEDA,
National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology

15:10 --- 15:40

Integrated MEMS Array- Uncooled Infrared Image Sensor -Prof. Masafumi KIMATA,
Ritsumeikan University

Chairman: Prof. Isao SHIMOYAMA

15:40 --- 15:55

Break

Session 4

Policy Trends of MEMS Research and Development

15:55 --- 16:25

Status and Future Trends of MEMS
Research in the U.S. for Biomedical Applications

Prof. William C. TANG,
University of California, Irvine

16:25 --- 16:55

Market Trends of MEMS

Prof. Isao SHIMOYAMA,
THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

16:55 --- 17:25

EC FP6 Network of Excellencein Multi-Material Micro-Manufacture (4M)

Dr. Stefan DIMOV,
Cardiff University, U.K.

17:25 --- 17:55

Development of MEMS Design
and Simulation System

Prof. Hidetoshi KOTERA,
Kyoto University

Session 5

Closing

17:55 --- 18:00

Closing Remarks

Chairman: Dr. Ryutaro MAEDA

Chairman: Prof. Hiroyuki FUJITA
Mr. Keiichi AOYAGI, Micromachine Center

2

MEMS Foundry Service Provided by Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Nobuo Ozawa
Manager, MEMS Business Team, WP Business Division,
Silicon Manufacturing Company
Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
1. Overview

2. Features of the foundry service

The MEMS Foundry Service at Oki Electric
originated as a foundry service for silicon LSI. While
the LSI foundry service was limited to wafer
processing methods of the 1980s in the beginning, thisservice has now expanded to include mask production,
wafer processing, testing, assembly, and LSI testing.
Based on the development of these semiconductor
devices and processing and production techniques
accumulated during manufacturing, beginning in the
1990s Oki Electric began offering its customers MEMS
manufacturing technology through silicon processing
as a part of its silicon foundry service. Some of theprocesses for the MEMS foundry were developed asuser-specific processes during the 1990s, but werelimited to processes that could be supported on asilicon LSI production line at that time. Beginningfrom the late 1990s, the range of supported processes
gradually expanded.
We are not preparing to offer any packaging
services at this time. However, Oki Electric possesses
technologies that are applicable to MEMS packaging,such as wafer-level chip size package (W-CSP) andmulti-chip package (MCP). Hence, there is potential
for developing a foundry service that encompasses
packaging.
MEMS-specific processing techniques are being
incorporated into silicon semiconductor processing todevelop MEMS at the single-element level. Oki
Electric is also conducting R&D on integrated MEMS
that combine LSI and MEMS to produce systematic
devices possessing signal processing andcommunication functions.
By effectively employing the processing andmanufacturing techniques obtained through MEMS
development in the MEMS foundry, we hope toprovide customers with a higher quality of service.

Oki Electric is applying its twenty years of experiencein the silicon foundry and its experience in LSI processes
from development to mass production to the MEMS
foundry. We are pursuing a wide range of foundry services
from development and trial production to mass production.
Since development and trial production are primarily
conducted at Miyazaki Oki Electric (located in Kiyotakecho, Miyazaki Prefecture), which has a mass production
line, the transition from the trial production stage to mass
production is extremely smooth. Further, by a special
control division supervises the production facilities,
enabling us to provide trial production and mass
production results with high reproducibility.
Including processing of partially contracted allianceproducts, the MEMS foundry has manufactured
capacitive pressure sensors, piezoresistive pressure
sensors, accelerometers, and silicon microlenses in trial
production and mass production.
3. Conclusion
The MEMS Foundry Service at Oki Electric works
closely with its customers while producing MEMS
products. The Service develops optimal processes suited
to the user's concept of the product and the device
design, based on silicon processing and analysis
techniques, as well as process control and quality control
techniques, cultivated over many years of LSIdevelopment and manufacturing.
By applying its MEMS manufacturing technology andknow-how not only to its own products, but also to a wide
range of foundry projects, Oki Electric hopes to provide
an environment that fosters the production anddevelopment of MEMS products.
For further information, send e-mail to:
SiSC-MEMS@oki.com
Outline of the Oki Electric MEMS Foundry Service

Step

Step 1:
Step 3:
Step 2:
Partial process Stand-alone element Integrated MEMS
SIP technology
SOC technology

Transistor

Scope of service

From small-lot trial production to mass-production

Cleanliness

10-1000 class

Wafer diameter

4 and 6 inch

ISO and other certification

ISO9001, ISO14000

Process technologies

Silicon wafer processes-Bulk micromachining-SOI micromachining

Record of mass
/ trial production(including in-house products)

Accelerometers, pressure sensors,
microlenses, various film deposition,
etching, etc.

Integrated MEMS
MEMS
processing

Copper inductor

MEMS + LSI

Copper post
/WCSP
Silicon lensG sensor

3

ColumnThoughts On Micromachines
Kazuhiro Hane, Professor, Department of Nanomechanics,
Graduate School of Mechanical Engineering, Tohoku University
Some twenty years ago after completing my
doctoral course, I was accepted to teach in a new
department at the university. The new Department of
Mechatronics was established in response todevelopments in mechatronics in the industrial world.
The classes were very lively, as the students wereattracted to the new field, and there was much
expectation placed on the young instructors in the
new department. Although micromachines (MEMS)
was one of the fields that produced heightened
expectations, we organized the course with a broader
concept: an integrated mechanical engineering course.
One goal of the course was to develop semiconductor
micromachining into a mechanical field. News from
America such as the trial production of achromatography system on a silicon wafer drew muchattention. With this background, dreams and hopes
for micromachines began to grow.
Integrated circuits produced in semiconductors
were also developing rapidly in Japan during this time.
The level of integration of IC's increased by tens ofpercentage points each year, and as a result theperformance of computers increased dramatically.
While more recent increases in memory capacity from,say, 1G to 2G may seem to the ordinary user as merely
an increase in an already sufficient memory capacity,
back when people were trying to get by with very
limited memory, an increase in 1M to 2M wasextremely beneficial and a remarkable development in
the semiconductor industry. However, the Japaneseindustry that has shown steady development ismechatronics. This field, which merges machines andelectronic systems, demonstrates the superior abilityof the Japanese in manufacturing, as is represented by
the automobile and automated production equipment.
If the equipment and technology could be established,mechatronics, which requires many variations andmerged technologies, was expected to be more suited
to Japan's capacity for manufacturing than integrated
circuits, which are easy to mass produce. Japan is also
good at making mechanical and electronic goods
smaller and has shown its superiority to the rest of theworld in manufacturing compact recorders,
timepieces, and camera systems. However, I think thatJapan should place more emphasis on micromachines,
which can be considered an extension of
mechatronics.
Processing techniques for micromachines haveadvanced considerably in the last twenty years.
Flexibility in the 3-dimensional processing of siliconusing developments in DeepRIE has improved morethan in anisotropic etching of crystals. However,
DeepRIE is only capable of about 2.5 dimensions, notthe unrestricted 3-dimensional processing that is

possible in macromachining. It is expected that 3dimensional processing will be developed with a higher
degree of freedom in the future. As these processing
techniques improve, numerous sensors andmicrosystems are being proposed and experimentally
produced. Since many problematic areas inprocessing must be resolved to complete such trial
manufacturing, once a proposal for trial manufacturing
is agreed upon, researchers focus on specificproblems. Although researchers always like toconcentrate on detailed problems, I believe that a
broader perspective will be required when developing
micromachines in the future.
In the near future, Japan and the world will be
faced with such problems as environmental issues, thegrowing population, and the food shortage. Japan is
only about forty percent self-sufficient in food, with
about one-fourth of its entire food supply going towaste. Therefore, it is necessary to construct systems
for using resources and distributing food that are notwasteful. What will our society be like twenty years
from now? Striving for profits in the industrial world isthe fate of humankind, but, while it is important toproduce products that are at least somewhat efficient,shouldn't ten or twenty percent of our efforts beaimed at some aspect that can contribute to problems
facing all of Japan twenty years from now? Since
problems facing the environment are pervasive, theissue is somewhat diluted, as most individuals today
don't feel these problems affect them. To understandthese types of widespread problems, I think it isnecessary to study sensing and mobility over a large
area. Networks continue to expand in towns andthroughout the world, and I believe network
technology will be an indispensable means forunderstanding large areas. By incorporating
microsensors in networks, we may be able to placethese pervasive problems of distribution and theenvironment in a context that we can understand. It
seems that micro-problems in science can be resolved
by tackling them analytically. However, I think it isnecessary to develop new techniques for solving
macro-problems.
Perhaps you remember the catch phrase "Can you
work 24 hours a day?" If the trend of today's fastpaced society continues, such a scenario may not be
altogether out of the question twenty years from now.
I think we must strike a new course toward anaffluence different from the materialistic, hurriedsociety of today. It is my hope that MEMS, atechnology indispensable for providing input andoutput between various sensors and computer
networks, can contribute to the solution of these
problems.

4Overseas Trends

COMS 2004 in Canada, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2
Sponsored by MANCEF, the 9th International Conference on
the Commercialization of Micro and Nano Systems (COMS 2004)
was held in Edmonton, Alberta from August 30th to September
2nd in order to discuss issues related to fostering MEMS
commercialization. Each day during the conference earnest
discussions were conducted on a variety of issues, including (1)general trends in industry, (2) starting an enterprise, (3)investment strategies for nanotechnology, (4) marketingstrategies, (5) equipment vendors, (6) technical trends andtopics, (7) technical transfer, (8) applications in specialized
fields, (9) technology for specific disciplines, (10) reliability,(11) foundries, (12) micro/nano technology design tools, (13)
NSF training program, (14) collaboration, and (15)dissemination and public relations.
I attended this conference as a representative from theMicromachine Center in order to investigate whether Japan could
take any cues from the conference with regard to measures forpromoting MEMS/micromachine commercialization. The following
is a summary of the results of this investigation and my own
impressions.
1) A total of about one hundred companies and institutions
from the four hundred members of MANCEF gave
presentations at this year's conference. Of the presenters,
three were administrative bodies, thirty-two universities andresearch institutes, fifteen public institutions, and forty-six
businesses. It is notable that only seven of the forty-six
businesses giving presentations were major firms, while theothers were small or medium venture businesses. A related
exhibition being held simultaneously included forty-one
exhibitor companies and institutes comprising thirteen
public institutes, fifteen MEMS companies, three software
vendors, and several others, including news agencies andpatent firms.
2) There appeared to be about three to four hundred
attendees, of which about ten were from Japan.
3) The following are some of the presentations that left an
impression on me:
A. The national science advisor of the Canadian government
announced that they had invested funds and establishedresearch facilities in five locations with the goal of becoming
one of the top ten countries in nanotechnology by 2010.
B. A MEMS program representative from DARPA contended
that MEMS must be approached differently thansemiconductors due to the market scale, lot size, and othercharacteristics distinctive to MEMS. Specifically, therepresentative advocated the need for equipment andprocessing technology capable of performing processes foreach chip.
C. The senior vice president of Philips described the progress
made in developing LED light sources by system-in-package(chip-level packages), and began such open collaboration
activities as co-developing RF MEMS capacitors with Nokia anddeveloping bending displays by sharing facilities with Mi Plaza.
D. The Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute noted that,based on MEMS growth, some seventy thousand technicians
will be needed in the U.S. in 2005. The Institute also
reported on training programs that were started in 2002 withcooperation from NASA and Sandia National Laboratories.
4) Overall I felt that this conference provided an opportunity tocreate a structure of collaboration and systems from theperspectives of technology, capital, and education andstrives to foster MEMS/nanotechnology commercialization.
This objective differs greatly from that of the
MST/nanotechnology trade fair at Hannover Messe, which
provides a venue for showcasing individual enterprises andtechnologies. Further, the major firms engaged in MEMS,
such as Texas Instruments, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard, do
not give presentations at this conference. This indicates thatat large firms capable of producing and procuring their own
products, conditions are quite different from those at
venture businesses, which must collaborate with each otherin respect of market share and capital.
5) On reflection, this is a good time to rethink the objectives
and status of Japan's micromachine exhibit. Neither the
conference nor trade fair mentioned above has succeeded increating an opportunity to contact and communicate withusers. I felt that this conference had become nothing morethan a gathering for members of similar trades and suppliersof knowledge and technological sources. On this point, Japan
has diverse industries and numerous businesses that are
creating system products, in other words, the users of
MEMS and micromachines. Those involved in MEMS andmicromachines would place great value on an exhibition that
arranges collaborations between manufacturers and users.

The Shaw Conference Centre is built into the banks of Edmonton's river valley.
From the entrance, this pedway leads down, down to the conference area.

5

Members' Profiles

CANON Inc.

1. Endeavors in Micromachine Technology
At Canon, we provide our customers with reliable products
in a wide range of fields, including imaging equipment frompersonal cameras to broadcasting and professional uses;
business machine such as printers, copying machines, andscanners; manufacturing and ultraprecision equipment for
semiconductors and flat panel displays such as mask aligners
and etchers; and medical equipment such as X-ray digital
cameras and fundus cameras. These key components for our
products in-house incorporate a variety of innovativetechnologies that adopt micromachine technology, and ensurethat Canon always remains ahead of the competition.
Our R&D organizations are actively developing new
products featuring micromachine technologies. To accomplish
this, we are collaborating with experts in a variety of fields,
including material development, simulation analysis, physicalanalysis and chemical analysis.

Makoto Shibata
General Manager, Inkjet Technology Development Center

correction which is essential for achieving high throughput innext generation maskless exposure systems employing a multielectron beam, and is useful to large items and small
production. Micromirrors are expected to be applied in laser
scanning displays and optical switches in next generation.

2. Development of Micromachine Technology
1st ElectrodeA specialist in high-precision processing, Canon was early to
begin developing devices with micromachine technology, suchas sensors and optical devices. The representative example ofour MEMS devices is the print head lie at the heart of our inkjet
printer, developed by our original technology in the 1970s. To
produce micro fine droplet accurately, the nozzles, the mostimportant part of the print head (Fig.1), must be made highly
precise. Combining our micromachine technology and material
technology into every nozzle manufacturing step, Canon has
developed the original nozzle manufacturing process to produce
highly precise integral nozzles and eliminated the use ofbonding process. This technology also enables high-density
nozzle packing and leads to the breakthrough in printheadperformance. We have named this technology as FINE (Fullphotolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering).
At Canon, we are also actively engaged in the developmentof processing technologies for MEMS in next generation
products, such as the Einzel lens arrays (Fig.2) andMicromirrors (Fig.3). Einzel Lens arrays perform aberration

1 st electrode

200µm
2

µ
00

m

Shieldmembrane
80 φ

100µm

2 nd separate
electrode

2nd Separate Electrode160 φShieldmembrane

50µm

3 rd electrode100µm
unit: µm

Einzel Lens
e-beam

3rd Electrode

1st
2nd
3rd

Fig. 2 Einzel lens array
Torsional
Beam
MirrorFixed
End

VerticalMode

Horizontal
Mode

Torsional
Mode

Microscopic image ofthe fabiricated torsional mirror

Torsional
Beam
Fixed
End
Cross-sectional image ofthe torsional beam

50µm
Print headFig. 3 Micromirror

Microscopic image of nozzle arrayorifice

3. Future Endeavors

nozzleink inlet

heaterSilicon wafer

Schematic cross-sectional
image of nozzle

The importance of micromachine technology will continue
to increase for its use in product discrimination. We willcontinue to cultivate this technology in pursuit of new potential,
and then the ongoing development of reliable products ensure
to satisfy our customers.

10µm
Cross-sectional SEM imageof nozzle

Fig. 1 Inkjet head6

Seiko Instruments Inc.

On September 1, 2004 our company name in Japanese
was changed from Seikô Insutsurumentsu to Seikô
Insutsuru (romanized form of the Japanese; the English
name remains unchanged as Seiko Instruments Inc.).
Insutsuru is derived from the Latin word instruere,
meaning to prepare, provide, or build. This wordembodies our desire to build a new value in society by
preparing and providing products and services that
anticipate any new era. It is also our wish that, byadopting a unique name, we can cultivate a business thatis easy to remember and familiar to everyone. We lookforward to your continued patronage.
The following is a description of the microtechnologies in which Seiko Instruments is engaged.

Yoshinobu Hirata
Vice President

operate well when submerged. Accordingly, we produced
a self-sensing cantilever that incorporates a displacement
sensing function in the cantilever. Fig. 1 is aphotomicrograph of the self-sensing cantilever.
Our recent endeavors in nanotechnology that haveattracted attention are the development and sales ofscanning probe microscopes with sufficient resolution toobserve atoms and molecules and focused ion beamsystems enabling measurement and processing on theorder of several nanometers. These devices are primarily
employed in advanced nanotechnology research, but may
also be used in semiconductor fabs.

1. Micro-technology and nano-technology
Seiko Instruments was established as a watch
manufacturer in 1937. Using several of its originaltechnologies, we produced what could be called the firstcommercialized micromachine, a mechanical watch that
achieved unparalleled precision. During a subsequent
process to develop a quartz watch with even higher
precision, we worked with such components assemiconductors, quartz oscillators, batteries, and liquid
crystals display. We have since applied these technologies
fostered through watch manufacturing to other products
for which compactness and efficiency have become anobsession.
Seiko Instruments began working on micromachines
in a recent project on micromachine research. We
participated in the technological development of a
microfactory in an effort to conserve energy, space, andresources in production equipment and produced a trial
manufacturing system for micromachining and assemblyin a joint project involving seven companies. During thisproject, we uncovered much information regarding
various issues and advantages in producing compact
production equipment. With this trial production system
we succeeded in performing electrochemical
micromachining at the micron-level.
Seiko Instruments has conducted R&D on a scanningprobe for use in an atomic force microscope (AFM), onecommercialized product using MEMS technology. An
AFM normally employs a highly sensitive optical lever for
detecting displacement of a cantilever. This isdisadvantageous in that the displacement sensing system
must be large in order to ensure a sufficiently long optical
path for the optical lever system, and the system does not

2. Future Endeavors
By pursuing compactness and efficiency, Seiko
Instruments continues to create useful products that are
unique in the world. We are developing products througha combination of MEMS and machining technology, which
we developed when manufacturing watches to form
micro-parts, and creating devices through the fusion of
MEMS and nanotechnology. We are also working actively
to produce more compact manufacturing equipment andto achieve innovations in manufacturing and production
technology.

(****) Cantilever
Enlarged photographof the probe region(****) Tempemperature-compensating device

Fig. 1 Photomicrograph of an AFM cantilever7Worldwide R&D

Designing a Bio/Nano-Interface
Yukio Nagasaki, Professor, Nagasaki Laboratory, Department of Materials Science andTechnology, Faculty of Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo University of ScienceE-mail: nagasaki@rs.noda.tus.ac.jp
Our laboratory strives to design biomaterials that function
within a living organism. The laboratory currently has twentyfive members, including Dr. Yukio Nagasaki, assistant
Yoshinori Katsuyama, postdoctoral fellow Hajime Oishi, three
doctoral students, ten masters students, and nineundergraduate seniors.

we could almost completely suppress nonspecific adsorption
by immobilizing PEG chains with different molecular weights(Fig. 1). Highly sensitive biosensors and other devices can becreated on this material surface by immobilizing specificfunctional groups (antibodies, enzymes, sugars, etc.) on thetermini of the PEG chain.

Scheme 1

The basic goal of our laboratory is to manufacture"biomaterials," which are materials that function within a livingorganism. It is particularly important to design a contact
interface between blood or tissue and the material in theorganism. Hence, the design of "bio/nano-interfaces" hasbecome our most important task. In designing this interface,
we have also focused our studies on polyethylene glycol(PEG), commonly found in living organisms. A heterobifunctional PEG having functional groups introduced indifferent quantities on its termini can be employed as a usefulmaterial for designing various surfaces (see Fig. 1).
By immobilizing a hetero-bifunctional PEG synthesized inthis way on the surface of various materials, it is possible todesign an interface on which such biological components asproteins, lipids, and cells are not adsorbed. We discovered that

Ligand introducing
site

Further, we discovered that by similarly pegylating thesurface of micro- or nano-size particles, it is possible not only
to control nonspecific adsorption on the surface, but also to
improve dispersion stability drastically.
This revolutionary technique facilitates the use of suchparticles, which were previously very difficult to disperse inbiological fluids with high ion concentration, such as sodium
and potassium. These pegylated nanoparticles make it possible
to employ various nanoparticles of gold, semiconductors, silica,and fullerene to be used in a bioenvironment.
We are now working day and night with the students todevelop practical bio/nanomaterials such as these.
On October 1, 2004, our laboratory will be transferred to
the Tsukuba Research Center for Interdisciplinary Materials
Science (TIMS).

PEG

Nonspecific adsorption control

SH

PEG

HS
Thiol

Increase in brush density
Fig. 1 Developing a highly functional bio/nanointerface

Nanoparticles

Ligands
Fig. 2 Regulating pegylated nanoparticles tofunction in a living organism

MICROMACHINE No. 49
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 change. Please send
your comments about MICROMACHINE to the publisher :Keiichi Aoyagi, Executive Director, Micromachine Center (MMC)
MBR99 Bldg., 6F., 67 Kanda Sakumagashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0026, Japan
Tel : +81-3-5835-1870, Fax : +81-3-5835-1873
Internet Home Page h t t p : / / w w w . m m c . o r . j p /Date of Issue : October 21, 2004

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