Micro and nano engineering

TBC - Thematic Leader

Micro and nano engineering deals with development and manufacture of products, whose functional features are in the order of mm and nm.

Micro and nano engineering deals with the product development and manufacture of micro and nano products in general and they are not restricted to specific materials and processes.

In product development, principles and methodologies for design of micro and nano products taking into account functionality as well as manufacturability form the key area of interest. In fact, developing a micro and nano product is not only a matter of downscaling a macro product and process, but it is a question of a different way of thinking using different principles and methodologies.

Micro and nano product is usually constituted by several components that have to be assembled in order to obtain the desired functionality (as is the case in a so-called hybrid system). Thus it is apparent to distinguish between a micro and nano product and a micro or nano component.

The realization of a micro product requires reduction of size of the constituting components. This creates challenges in terms of handling and assembly of components into a product and therefore the integration of different functions is desirable, so that the same component can fulfill different purposes.

In this way, specific mechanical thermal, electrical, magnetic and chemical properties are required to the constituting material in order to obtain the performance level required for a component.

Those properties are subject of the metrology activities for calibration and quality control purposes.

Fields of activities:

• micro/nano handling and manipulation
• micro/nano assembly and packaging;
• micro/nano metrology
• micro sensors and actuators
• reverse engineering and micro tooling
• micro fluidics
• micro and nano engineering activities for SME's (RAS activities)

Organizations involved:

1.   Institute of Mechanics - BAS

2.   Research Development and Implementation Association "Scientific Instrumentation" – BAS

3.   Central Laboratory of Solar Energy and New Energy Sources – BAS, Sofia

4.   Central Laboratory of Applied Physics – BAS

5.    Technical University of Sofia

6.   Central Laboratory of Optical Storage and Processing of Information – BAS

7.   Institute of Physical chemistry