Prof. Richard Syms 

INTERESTS  

My interests lie in the application of microfabrication technology to the development of non-electronic micro-engineered systems; these are currently electromechanical, optical and ion optical devices aimed at providing an information-gathering front end to electronic systems. 

ACHIEVEMENTS

A wide range of silicon based micromechanical actuators have been demonstrated, including passively and actively tunable resonators. Surface tension powered self assembly has been shown to be a practical method of mass parallel construction of three-dimensional microstructures, and has been applied to optomechanical devices such as mirror scanners. Processes have been developed for fabrication of planar lightwave circuits based on multicomponent sol-gel glasses. A microengineered moving waveguide bar code reader has been built. Mass spectrometer action has been demonstrated from microengineered quadrupole electrostatic lenses, a world first.

VISIONS

Microsystems technology has the potential to impact people’s lives to almost the same extent as micro-electronics, since it will allow a massive extension of the range of information that can be gathered about the external world. As yet, it is an undeveloped field, and what is possible appears to be limited only by imagination. I’d like to spend the next few years exercising mine.