Mikrosystem är ett mycket expansivt område som erbjuder stora möjligheter till effektivisering och miniatyrisering av komplexa produkter. Nya unika egenskaper i samverkan med låga tillverkningskostnader har medfört att mikrosystemtekniken, MST, Microsystems Technology, erövrar såväl existerande produktområden som helt nya, t ex: bilar, flygplan medicinsk teknik, mindetektorer, rymdindustri m fl.

Denna bok presenterar mikrosystemen och deras möjligheter. Den inleds med en unik marknadsöversikt där olika tillämpningsområdens utveckling och framtid diskuteras. En detaljrik framställning och klassificering av etablerade och kommande mikrosystem bildar en bred kunskapsbank för såväl specialister som oinvigda inom området. För konstruktörer som t ex vill öka sin kunskap om olika kategorier av sensorer förklaras begrepp och funktionsprinciper på ett utförligt sätt. Boken är även en lämplig introduktion till sensorer och mikromekanik på landets alla olika ingenjörsutbildningar.

Working prototypes of a novel 3 axis monolithic silicon accelerometer have been manufactured at Chalmers University of Technology in co operation with Saab Combitech AB and the Department of Solid State Electronics. Experience from the prototypes is most encouraging as they have confirmed the theoretical predictions of negligible cross-axis sensitivity. The accuracy in the separation of an arbitrary directed acceleration into acceleration vectors in a Cartesian system of coordinates has shown to be high almost beyond expectation. The accelerometer has good potential to develop into a low cost 3 axis accelerometer in the 0 2 g range with a resolution of about 10 mg. This in part due to the simple manufacturing process.

Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles are increasingly used as probes in biomolecule detection. We compared two different techniques, which provide information on the state of the magnetic particle system. The dynamics of an ensemble of magnetic nanoparticles was probed measuring the response its magnetisation both on an alternating magnetic field by AC-susceptometry and on a jump of external magnetic field by magnetorelaxometry. In order to compare both techniques, we studied the binding of streptavidin functionalized nanoparticles (fluidMAG/BC-SAV) to biotin-agarose beads and to biotinylated prostate specific antigens (PSA-10). By both techniques we observed specific changes in shape and amplitude of the characteristic signals due the binding of the particles. Therewith the signals of bound and unbound probes can be discriminated and a homogeneous assay without time-comsuming washing steps is realized. The AC susceptometry method provides a robust and sensitive measurement technology. Magnetorelaxometry, utilizing superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) as magnetic field sensors, owns a much shorter measurement time and has the potential of an even higher sensitivity, at the expense of a considerably increased technological effort.