1959年诺贝尔物理学奖获得者Richard P.Feynmann在他的预言性演讲“There‘s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”中展望了制造技术的两大发展途径：从宏观到微观（Top-Down）和从最小构造模块的分子开始进行物质构筑（Bottom-Up）。其中从宏观到微观（Top-Down）的思想在之后数十年飞速发展的微电子机械系统（MEMS：Micro-electro-mechanical systems）技术中得到了体现。微电子机械系统(MEMS)技术是对半导体集成电路工艺技术的延伸和发展，是微电子技术与机械、光学、生物、材料等众多领域交叉结合的产物。其借助标准IC工艺以及基于此发展的体硅加工，表面硅加工、LIGA（德语LIthographie Galvanoformung Abformung的缩写）及电子放电加工等新型微加工工艺实现微型传感器、微型执行器、信号处理以及控制电路、接口电路、通信系统和电源集于一体的微系统。

The integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a substrate through microfabrication technology.

The enabling technology allowing the development of smart products, augmenting the computational ability of microelectronics with the perception and control capabilities of microsensors and microactuators and expanding the space of possible designs and applications.

Integrated circuit (IC) process and compatible micromechanical processes are used to fabricate the mechanical and electromechanical devices, which are integrated and make possible the realization of complete systems-on-a-chip.

The function of microelectronic integrated circuits can be augmented by Micro-Electro-Mechanical System through sensors and actuators. Sensors gather information from the environment through measuring mechanical, thermal, biological, chemical, optical, and magnetic phenomena. The microelectronic integrated circuits then process the information derived from the sensors and through some decision making capability direct the actuators to respond by moving, positioning, regulating, pumping, and filtering, thereby controlling the environment for some desired outcome or purpose.