Intelligent, integrated microsystems combine some or all of thefunctions of sensing, processing information, actuation andcommunication within a single integrated package, and preferably upon asingle silicon chip. As the elements of these highly integratedsolutions interact strongly with each other, the microsystem can beneither designed nor fabricated piecemeal, in contrast to the morefamiliar assembled products. Driven by technological imperatives,microsystems will best be developed by multidisciplinary teams, mostlikely within flatter, less hierarchical organizations. Standardizationof design and process tools around a single, dominant technology willexpedite economically viable operation under a common productioninfrastructure. The production base for intelligent, integratedmicrosystems has elements in common with the mathematical theory ofchaos. Similar to chaos theory, the development of microsystemstechnology will be strongly dependent on, and optimized to, the initialproduct requirements that will drive standardization-thereby furtherrewarding early entrants to integrated microsystem technology
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