The field of microelectronics continues to amaze with its recent technological advances as well as the extent of its applications, whether in telecommunications with the appearance of smartphones, in the biomedical sector with prosthetics and other implants aimed at improving the quality of life of patients. Indeed, the impact of microelectronics has profoundly changed our lives, from the first computer invented at the beginning of the 19th century with enormous dimensions to the most recent portable computer. This prodigious breakthrough would not exist without the impressive progress made in the field of integrated circuits. This progression currently continues with the implementation of systems on a chip (SoC) where all the elements necessary for the proper functioning of a system are brought together on a single chip, and labs on a chip (LoC) where one or more laboratory functions are brought together on a miniaturized substrate.
Microsystem design is one of the most essential aspects of any modern economy, bringing together numerous technologies whose dimensions range from the micrometer to the nanometer, namely photonics, microfluidics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) and embedded software. It is clear that microsystems have become essential, even indispensable, and greatly influence our quality of life to the point of being one of the main drivers. The rapid technological evolution of this field and of engineering requires researchers to create design methods in order to accelerate the implementation of devices intended to support the social and economic growth of Quebec and Canada.
