Duration
24h Th, 18h Pr, 4h Labo., 20h Proj.
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course is an introduction to microtechnology and microsystems. The material covers microfabrication, MEMS sensors and actuators and their electronic interfaces, microfluidics and biosensors. Lumped element modeling is used several times throughout the course.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this course, the student will have a good overview of microtechnology and physical constraints at the microscale. Microsystem design is learned through a series of lectures and practiced in case studies.
The student will also develop further his/her ability to perform experimental work during the lab session. This latter will give him/her a practical view of the challenges encountered while handling small-scale systems.
Both the case studies and the lab sessions involve theoretical background from many different fields. They will therefore be worked out in small groups; hence students will benefit from the knowledge of the others.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Pre-requisites:
This course involves both mechanical and electronic aspects. In electronics, we expect the students to already be able to solve elementary electronic circuits, involving ideal operational amplifiers (e.g. as seen in ELEC0052 or ELEN0075 ). In mechanics, we expect the students to alredy be able to calculate the bending deflection of a loaded beam (e.g. as seen in MEC0001) and the flow in a pipe (e.g. as seen in MECA0011). On the first day of class, two parallel catch-up sessions will be organised, one in electronics and one in mechanics, so students can brush up on either topic.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course comprises:
- Lectures and problems, in which theory and applications are covered.
- One lab session. The students will manipulate different small-scale systems.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face
Organisational adjustments related to the current health context
Orange code: The lectures will be preferably given online (recorded lectures, with online Q&A sessions if needed). The lab sessions will be maintained with sanitary adjustments (less students at a time, partitioning of the work, mask and disinfectant). Red code: The lectures will be given online (recorded lectures, with online Q&A sessions if needed). The lab sessions will be postponed, and possibly cancelled if the red code is applied until the end of the semester. In the latter case, the written exam will represent 100% of the final mark.
Recommended or required readings
Slides
"Microsystems design', S.D. Senturia, K.A.P. 2001
Assessment methods and criteria
Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.
Any session :
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
- Remote
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
- If evaluation in "hybrid"
preferred in-person
Additional information:
- 1 lab report (weight 15%). One report per group, written in English. The mark is kept from the first to the second session (lab sessions are not organised during the summer).
- Exam on theory and problems (weight 85%, notes allowed).
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
The course is given in the spring, on Wednesday afternoon in B28-2/93. The detailed course organization will be discussed on the first day of class (Feb. 3, 2021 at 2pm).
An electronic version of the course material (slides with audio comments included, case studies, additional notes) will be available online.
The lab session is mandatory. Any absence to this session will have to be officially justified.
Contacts
Tristan Gilet
Assistant professor
Microfluidics Lab
Office: B52 - 0/420
Email: Tristan.Gilet@uliege.be
Jean-Michel Redouté
Associate professor
Dept. Electrical Eng. and Computer Sci.
Office: B28 - 1.83b
Email: Jean-Michel.Redoute@uliege.be