The field of "microelectromechanical systems," or "MEMS," has gradually
evolved from a "discipline" populated by a small group of researchers to
an "enabling technology" supporting a variety of products in such
diverse areas as mechanical and inertial sensors, optical projection
displays, telecommunications equipment, and biology and medicine.
Critical to the success of these products is the ability to design them,
and this invariably involves detailed modeling of proposed designs. Over
the past twenty years, such modeling has become increasingly
sophisticated, with full suites of MEMS-oriented computer-aided-design
tools now available worldwide. But there is another equally important
side to the design process - In my own book, Microsystem figuring out
what to build in the first place. Design, I chose to emphasize the
modeling aspect of design. The task of figuring out what to build was
defined by a vague step called "creative thinking." I used practical
product examples to illustrate the many subtle characteristics of
successful designs, but I made no attempt to systematize the generation
ofdesign proposals or optimized designs. That systemization is called
"synthesis," which is the subjectofthis book.