About the Lab

The Ceramic Microelectrical Mechanical Systems (C-MEMS) lab at Boise State University is managed by Dr. Donald Plumlee and run by undergraduate students. The lab provides fabrication resources for many prototype projects in Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics. In the lab we can find the manufacturing process that will best fit the ceramic product that has been proposed. Undergraduate students work with Dr. Plumlee and other experts in relevant fields to research how to best build the product and analyze the data we get back from testing the prototype.

Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics (LTCC) contains a mixture of Glass/Alumna that sinters at a low temperature (< 900 degrees Celsius). Glass particles are held away from the alumna by an organic binder. When the LTCC is fired the organic binder is burned off and the alumna and glass bond together in a matrix and the ceramic becomes solid. Depending on the project we might also use a silver paste to embed electrical circuits in the LTCC.

Different categories of ceramic research that has been explored in the past are microfluidic channels, electric plasma microthrusters, thermoelectric generators, ion mobility sensors, electromagnetic generation, and many other projects.

The C-MEMS lab has worked with and continues to work with many different partners and companies. Including NASA, GMZ Energy and Micron. The lab has also received project funding grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation.