The Robotics Institute
 Search the site
RI | People | Gary Fedder

Text only version of this site

Gary Fedder
Prof. of ECE & Robotics;Director of ICES, RI/ICES

Email address: fedder@ece.cmu.edu
Office: HBH 1201
Phone: (412) 268-8443
Fax: 412-268-4595

Mailing address:
Institute for Complex Engineered Systems
Hamburg Hall
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890

For more information, see my personal homepage.

Jump to: Research interests | Keywords | Labs & groups | Projects | Publications

Research interests

As information systems have evolved from isolated computational engines to distributed networks, the autonomous ability to gather and act on information is becoming increasingly important. My research is in the interdisciplinary area of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS): sensor and actuator systems with performance derived from integration of electronics and mechanical structures with features measured in microns to millimeters. Fabrication of the batch-fabricated electromechanical devices and the development of related processes leverage the enormous investment in mature Very-Large-Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuit manufacturing. Benefits of this approach include much lower manufacturing cost, greater miniaturization, greater integration, and in many cases higher performance than can be achieved with conventional methods used to build systems requiring sensors and actuators. My research focus on integrated MEMS will eventually lead to the manufacture of low-cost sensor-and-actuator Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). Integrated MEMS technology will be pervasive in future embedded systems.

Our research group designs, fabricates, and tests microdevices that are primarily made using a process in high conventional foundry CMOS is followed by simple micromachining steps. This process provides us with high-performance electronics integrated on chip with electrostatically actuated microstructures, capacitive and piezoresistive sensors, and polysilicon thermal heaters. Projects include micromechanisms for magnetic probe-based data storage, accelerometers and gyroscopes for inertial sensing, and ciliary sensors for tactile and acoustic imaging. Of particular interest is how large arrays of these sensors and actuators may improve overall system-level performance. Issues include system design and integration, distributed control and communication, and interfacing to the environment.

MEMS are coupled multi-domain systems and, therefore, are difficult to design without expertise in a diverse set of fields. To address this problem in our lab, MEMS designers and CAD developers work closely together in a synergetic research environment. We are developing a multi-domain hierarchical design methodology to speed up the design cycle. A MEMS schematic is being developed in which mechanical, electromechanical, and electronic elements are graphically interconnected, resulting in rapid simulation and evaluation of designs. We are also modeling topologies for common MEMS applications, such as accelerometry, to codify design constraints for use in automated synthesis tools.

Research interest keywords

mechatronics, MEMS, microrobotics, sensors, and VLSI

Current Labs & Groups

Microelectromechanical Systems Laboratory - We are developing miniature sensor and actuator systems using integrated-circuit fabrication processes.
 

Current Projects [Past projects]

Application Specific Integrated MEMS Process Service - Creating the design, fabrication and characterization support for enabling integration of MEMS and CMOS to span from low cost prototyping to high volume production.
Biologically Inspired Micro Robotics - This project seeks to develop a joint angle sensor for a robotic cricket, which is part of a larger project with Case Western Reserve University.
Circuit Extraction from MEMS Layout - We are developing a MEMS extraction module which reads in the geometric description of the layout structure and reconstructs the corresponding schematic.
Foundation for MEMS Synthesis - shorten MEMS development cycle
High-Aspect-Ratio CMOS Micromachining Process - We have developed an integrated CMOS- MEMS process in which electrostatically actuated microstructures with high-aspect-ratio composite-beam suspensions are fabricated using conventional CMOS processing.
Integrated MEMS Inertial Measurement Unit - Developing a monolithic inertial measurement unit that exploits integrated-microdevice CAD tools to achieve superior system performance over individual microdevices.
Resonator Synthesis - We have developed a resonator synthesis module; the first in a series of synthesis modules to overcome the lack of MEMS Cell Libraries.
Schematic Design for MEMS - We have developed nodal simulation software to enable a structured representation for MEMS design using a hierarchical set of MEM components.
Ultra-High-Density Data Cache for Low-Power Communications - Demonstrating technology for a 10 GB/cm2 rewritable data storage system using MEMS-based actuators and magnetic recording.
 

Recent publications [View all 26 publications]

The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.
For updates and comments, please see these instructions.
This page maintained by robotwebmaster@ri.cmu.edu