What Is the Caltech MEMS Lab?

Updated

The Caltech MEMS Lab is the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) research laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, led by Professor Yu-Chong Tai. Its work centers on semiconductor/MEMS/NEMS technologies for medical applications — microfluidics, labs-on-a-chip, and biomedical implants — supported by a 7,000-square-foot facility that includes a clean room, a CAD lab, and measurement/metrology labs. It is the right reference point if you want to understand where Caltech's bio-MEMS research happens, who runs it, and what kinds of devices come out of it.

Who leads it and what it focuses on

Professor Yu-Chong Tai directs the lab. According to the lab's own description, his research applies Semiconductor/MEMS/NEMS technologies to medical problems, and he has published roughly 700 articles with more than 11,000 citations, plus over 200 granted and pending patents in the MEMS field.

Two threads run through the lab's history:

  • Earlier device work — active fluid sensing and control, including pressure sensors, shear-stress sensors, hot-wire anemometers, flexible sensor skins, magnetic actuators, and rubber-balloon actuators.
  • The last two decades — a major push into bio/medical devices such as microfluidics, labs-on-a-chip, and biomedical implants.

A consistent theme across both is MEMS system integration rather than isolated components. Examples given by the lab include a smart MEMS surface for drag reduction in turbulence, MEMS for delta-wing aerodynamic control, and a MEMS-maneuvered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

What the lab has built

The lab describes several notable firsts and device families:

Area Examples
Biochemical analysis First complete high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on-a-chip for total biochemical analysis; blood-labs-on-a-chip
Implants Cortical, retinal, and spinal implants based on parylene MEMS technology
Drug delivery Wireless micro drug delivery
Earlier MEMS devices Micromotors, microphones, neural chips, micro relays, micro power generators, micro valves, micro pumps

Beyond implants, the lab has also worked on circulating tumor cell enrichment and stem cell treatment of age-related macular disease, the latter funded by the California Government through a CIRM project.

The facility

Professor Tai built the Caltech MEMS Laboratory as a 7,000-square-foot facility dedicated entirely to biomedical devices and MEMS/NEMS. It contains:

  • A clean-room lab of about 3,000 square feet
  • A CAD lab
  • Several measurement and metrology labs

The facility supports graduate students, postdocs, visiting scholars, and industrial members developing devices such as neural chips, micro implants, and drug delivery devices.

How the lab collaborates

Much of the medical-device work is done jointly with clinicians and biologists. The lab names UCSF, USC, UCLA, and industry partners as collaborators on integrated cortical, retinal, and spinal implants. If you are looking for publication details rather than project descriptions, the lab points to its Publications page for the full list.