Editing Microtechnology (section)

== Development ==
Around 1970, scientists learned that by arraying large numbers of [[microscopic]] [[transistor]]s on a single chip, microelectronic circuits could be built that dramatically improved performance, functionality, and reliability, all while reducing cost and increasing volume. This development led to the [[Information Revolution]].

More recently, scientists have learned that not only [[electrical]] devices, but also mechanical devices, may be [[miniaturized]] and batch-fabricated, promising the same benefits to the mechanical world as [[integrated circuit]] technology has given to the electrical world. While electronics now provide the ‘brains’ for today's advanced systems and products, micro-mechanical devices can provide the [[sensor]]s and [[actuator]]s — the eyes and ears, hands and feet — which interface to the outside world.

Today, micromechanical devices are the key components in a wide range of products such as automobile [[airbag]]s, ink-jet printers, [[Blood pressure|blood pressure monitor]]s, and projection display systems. It seems clear that in the not-too-distant future these devices will be as pervasive as electronics. The process has also become more precise, driving the dimensions of the technology down to sub-micrometer range as demonstrated in the case of advanced microelectric circuits that reached below 20&nbsp;nm.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Nanostructuring Techniques|last1=Köhler|first1=Michael|last2=Fritzsche|first2=Wolfgang|date=2007|publisher=Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.|isbn=9783527318711|location=Weinheim|pages=33}}</ref>