NTHU

`PME5230` Sensing and Actuation in Miniaturized Systems `(Autumn` `2026)`

`Course Information`

Instructor: Liu, Cheng-Hsien liuch@pme.nthu.edu.tw
Office: Room 517, Engineering Building #1
Phone: (03) 5742496

Lectures: Time Monday 9:00am-12:00 (~150 minutes/week, one or two breaks in each-week class)
Location Room 215, Engineering Building #1

(Lecture given in English)

Office Hours: Tuesday 1:30pm~3:00pm and appointment by email

Course Web site: http://mx.nthu.edu.tw/~chhsliu/transducer_new/PME5230_Liu.html

`Course Objectives`

The Goal of the course is to provide senior and graduate students with the basic concepts and principles of sensing and actuation in miniaturized systems, which mostly use integrated circuit fabrication for their realization. Categories include sensors/ actuators (named Transducers), microfluidics and Lab on Chip, etc. Basic mechanism of transduction, micro/nanofabrication techniques, and relative merits of the different technologies will be addressed. This course will be research oriented and focuses on conference/journal paper survey. Due to the strong changes in learning brought about by the arrival of the AI, we are aligning with an emphasis on hands-on abilities by adding a hands-on classroom project.

`General Info`

Textbook/ Required Class material:

My class notes (on-linedownloadable filesthrough your eeclass account)
The Popular Documents (the 50 most frequently accessed documents) in Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/topAccessedArticles.jsp?punumber=84)
Lab on Chip journal paper published Sep. 2024~ Aug. 2026 (http://www.rsc.org/journals-books-databases/about-journals/lab-on-a-chip/)
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical Journal paperspublished Seo. 2024~ Aug. 2026 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/sensors-and-actuators-b-chemical)

Recommended References (all recommended books have been reserved and available at Main Library):

Gregory Kovacs, "Micromachined Transducers Sourcebook," McGraw-Hill, 1998
“Microsystems Design” by Stephen Senturia (ISBN 0-7923-7246-8)

§ “Fundamentals of BioMEMS and Medical Microdevices” by Steven Saliterman (ISBN 0-8194-5977-1)

§ Microfluidic Cell Culture Systems (Micro and Nano Technologies) 1st Edition by Christopher Bettinger, Jeffrey T Borenstein, Sarah L Tao (ISBN-13: 978-1437734591 / ISBN-10: 1437734596)

And quite a few other MEMS related books, journal papers, conference proceeding

Prerequisites:

Your final presentation needs to be given in English. You are also requested to try your communication and discussion in English on class. The class discuss participation will be counted for your final grading.

Grading:

§ Hand-on experimental project: 35% + a two-page short report: 10%

Discussion-including Class attendance,discussion and performance: 15%
Class FinalOral Presentations : 40%

Course Topics (tentative)

`Topics`	Lecture Schedule
Course Overview/ Exploring Sensing and Actuation in Miniaturized Systems/Scaling	Sep. 7
(You are encouraged to watch a video on YouTube on your own)	No lecture on Sep. 14
Miniaturized Mechanical Transducers and Microsystem Applications (I)	Sep. 21
	Sep. 25 (Holiday)
Miniaturized Mechanical Transducers and Microsystem Applications (II)	Oct. 5
Miniaturized Mechanical Transducers and Microsystem Applications (III) / Some history about MicroSystems Tech.	Oct. 12
MicroSystems Tech. History and Microfluidic Systems/ BioMEMS/ MEMS related NanoBio Tech. (I)	Oct. 19
	Oct. 26 (Holiday)
MicroSystems Tech. History and Microfluidic Systems/ BioMEMS/ MEMS related NanoBio Tech. (II)	Nov. 2
Hand-on experimental TEAM project (DEMO)	Nov. 9 (10:15 am~12:00)
MicroSystems Tech. History and Microfluidic Systems/ BioMEMS/ MEMS related NanoBio Tech. (III)	`Nov. 16`
Micro/Nano Fabrication Techniques	`Nov. 23`
	No lecture on Nov. 30
Class Final Presentations	`Dec. 7 & 14`