In a development of an olfactory display based on SAW streaming, reducing the liquid volume supplied onto the SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) device per unit time is a key issue to improve the efficiency of atomization. Since there were structural problems with the previous method using the micro pump to control the volume, we propose a new method using a micro dispenser based on solenoid valve for emitting a tiny liquid droplet. We confirmed that the device is able to emit a few nano litter droplet precisely without any pressure controlling system. Thus it enables us to create a small microdispenser compared to ink-jet technology. Then, an appropriate driving voltage waveform in terms of low power consumption is discussed. Moreover, we measured the time required to complete atomization while changing ejecting speed and found that atomization will be accelerated by broadening interval between each ejection.

In order to realize much smaller accelerometers with still lower cost, a noble resonant accelerometer were proposed, where the proof mass is displaced by the applied acceleration in the electrostatic field between the comb electrodes, resulting in a considerable change in the resonant frequency. In our previous paper, the area of the proof mass was 1 mm square, where an auxiliary electrode was formed in a hole within the proof mass for electrostatic tuning of the silicon resonator. To miniaturize the accelerometer, prototypes with area of 750 µm square and 500 µm square were designed, and fabricated using a SOI-MEMS technology, and their fundamental characteristics were evaluated. The change in the resonant frequency under the applied acceleration of 1 G was several tens percents, which agreed well with simulation results, and the operation principle of this resonant sensor was successfully verified.

In this research, enzyme electrode sensor for measuring low concentration lactate was fabricated. In our previous work, microperfusion needle to measure concentration of lactate in subepidermal tissue have been developed. Using this microperfusion needle, lactate concentration of perfusate was about one percent of lactate concentration of blood. In order to measure this low concentration of lactate, enzyme electrode sensor using printed enzyme was fabricated. Au electrodes were patterned on the glass substrate. Ag nanometal ink was printed on reference electrode. Os-HRP polymer was printed by pasting needle type printer and lactate oxidase was printed by inkjet printer on working electrode. Addition agents which do not inactivate enzymes as wetting agent and viscosity modifier were selected. A flow channel was pasted on fabricated electrodes to measure concentration changes continuously. Fabricated sensor had high sensitivity and could measure low concentration lactate (0.01-0.25 mM). In addition, fabricated sensor was not affected by interfering substances.

An electrical power generating device using piezoelectric element (PZT) has been developed to convert vibration energy into electrical energy for the application of monitoring of infrastructure and buildings.

In this paper experiments of driving the accelerometer module using parallel-type laminated PZT elements under vibration load and the evaluation of comparison of driving frequency of the accelerometer module of single laminated PZT and parallel-type laminated PZT are reported. Such types of power generator were shown to be useful for the driving sensor and monitoring system.

In this work, we have evaluated the planed surface of polyoxymethylene resin by light and strain sensitive MEMS tactile sensor. It is confirmed that the sensor output is correlated with surface profile and frictional characteristics of the resin. Additionally, it is demonstrated that difference of the surface color of the resin can be detected by this sensor.

Fabrication and evaluation of titanium nitride (TiN) micro heaters have been studied. The TiN thin film was fabricated by the reactive sputter deposition at the gas flow ratio of nitrogen of 100% and the substrate temperature of 500℃. These films have lower electrical resistivity (120µΩcm) and film color as copper-gold. The TiN micro heaters were fabricated by the photolithography process used titanium sacrificial layer. The power dissipation of the TiN micro heater was about 170mW at 400℃. The maximum heating temperature of the TiN micro heater was about 800℃.

Anisotropic etching is a useful processing method for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) microstructures on single crystal silicon (SCS) substrates. In this paper, we have fabricated the arrays of 3D convex microstructures using the combined etching process which includes two types of anisotropic etching process. The arrays of the micropillar structures with vertical sidewalls were firstly fabricated on the substrate surface using deep reactive ion etching (D-RIE) of SCS. Furthermore, anisotropic wet etching of the micropillars was performed in the etching solution and the shape of the additionally-etched 3D microstructures was investigated. We have also suggested the potential of the combined etching process to decrease the fabrication time of the arrays of micro pyramid which are usually fabricated using only the anisotropic wet etching of SCS.