Research Overview
Research activities at the MTL span an extraordinarily broad set
of activities. If one were to identify a unifying theme associated
with those projects, it would be the system-level interest in micro-
and nano technology. The MTL represents a research community, which
brings together experimentalist skilled in materials and technology
at the micro and nano-levels jointly with circuits/systems
researchers to realize visions for new systems that are enabled
by the integration of these disciplines.
The MTL nano-micro fabrication facilities also serves as a campus
wide resource providing researchers access to a broad array of technologies
that can be employed across an enormous breadth of investigation.
Many of the research investigations conducted at the MTL can be
viewed by exploring our Annual
Report.
Research Centers
MTL is home to several research centers, including:
- The Center for Integrated Circuits
and Systems (CICS) serves to promote closer technical
relation between MIT's Microsystems Technology Lab's
(MTL) research and industry, initiate and fund new research
in integrated circuits and systems, produce more students skilled
in the same area, address important research issues relevant to
industry, and solicit ideas for new research from industry.
- The Intelligent
Transportation Research Center (ITRC) focuses
on the key Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies,
including an integrated network of transportation information,
automatic crash & incident detection, notification
and response, advanced crash avoidance technology, advanced
transportation monitoring and management, etc., in order to
improve the safety, security, efficiency, mobile access, and environment.
There are two emphasis for research conduced in the center:
the integration of component technology research and system design
research, and the integration of technical possibilities and
social needs.
- MEMS@MIT is
a collection of faculty/staff/students working in the broad
area of a Micro/nano systems and MEMS. This center was created
to serve as a forum for collecting intellectually-synergistic but
organizationally diverse groups of researchers at MIT. In addition, we
have organized an industrial interaction mechanism to catalyze
the transfer of knowledge to the larger MEMS community.
- The Center for
Integrated Photonic Systems (CIPS) mission is
to create a meaningful vision of the future, a framework for
understanding how technology, industry and business interact
and evolve together in the future is required. Models provide
us with a process for analyzing the many complex factors that
shape this industry and the progress of related technologies.
Programs & Initiatives
- The Digital Integrated
Circuits and Systems Group is involved with the
design and implementation of various integrated systems ranging
from ultra low-power wireless sensors and multimedia devices
to high performance processors. The research spans across multiple
levels of abstraction ranging from innovative new process technologies
and circuit styles to architectures, algorithms, and software
technologies. A key focus of this group is developing energy
efficient integrated solutions for battery operated systems.
- MARCO/DARPA Materials,
Structures, and Devices Focus Research Center
Research in this center is organized into five research themes.
Four of the themes concentrate on experimental research in science
and technology while the fifth collaborates with the other four
in addressing key technology and device issues by advanced modeling
and simulations. The themes are:
- Nano-engineered Materials and Devices
- Nano-tube and Nano-wire Devices
- Molecular Devices
- Spin-Based Quantum Devices
- Theory, Modeling and Simulation
