Controlling the mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of materials by advanced fabrication methods (Le. ; Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) has become the new paradigm in our research era. Sensors, being the most vital part of the electronic data processing and decision making machines, stand to gain the most from engineering of the properties of materials. Microfabrication technology has already contributed significantly to the batch fabrication of micro-sensors with higher over all qualities compared to their counterparts that are fabricated using other methods. Batch fabrication of micro-sensors i) results in more uniform properties of co-fabricated devices, ii) nearly eliminates the need for characterization of individual sensors, and iii) eliminates a need for laborious alignment procedures. A less obvious benefit of using microfabrication methods is the possibility of precise control over the dimensions of the sensor. This control enables engineering of some of the properties of the material which affect the sensor's operation. There are many examples of this in the literature. Optical sensors are known to have superior properties over their counterparts that use other (i. e. ; electrostatic and magnetic) means of detection. To name a few, these advantages are: i) immunity to electromagnetic interferences, ii) higher sensitivities compared to the other types of sensors, iii) simplicity of operation principles, and iv) simplicity of overall construction.

219 8. 2 Sensors 221 8. 3 Physical Sensors 222 8. 3. 1 Electrical Sensing Means 223 8. 3. 2 Magnetic Field Methods 231 8. 3. 3 Optical Methods 232 8. 4 Chemical Sensors 241 8. 4. 1 Electrical Gas and Chemical Sensors 243 8. 4. 2 Guided-Optics Intrinsic Chemical Sensors 246 8. 4. 3 Extrinsic Chemical Sensors 250 8. 4. 4 Polymer Waveguide Chemical Sensors 251 8. 4. 5 Surface Plasmon Chemical Sensors 252 8. 4. 6 Indicator-Mediated Extrinsic Sensing 253 8. 4. 7 Optical Biosensors 256 8. 4. 8 Ultrasonic Gas and Chemical Sensors 257 8. 4. 9 Intelligent Sensors 258 8. 5 Connections/Links and Wiring 258 8. 5. 1 Optical Links 260 8. 5. 2 Requirement on the Processing Unit/Intelligence 262 8. 6 Actuators 263 8. 7 Signal Processing/Computing 264 8. 7. 1 Implicit Computation 266 8. 7. 2 Explicit Computation 267 8. 8 References 274 Subject Index 279 Micro-Actuators (Electrical, Magnetic, Thermal, Optical, Mechanical, and Chemical) It has become quite apparent that sensors and actuators are the main bottleneck of the modem information processing and control systems. Microprocessors and computers used to be the main limiting element in most information processing systems. But thanks to the enonnous progress in the microelectronics industry, most information analysis tasks can be processed in real time. The data has to be acquired by the processor in some form and processed and used to produce some useful function in the real world.

Focusing on the use of microlithography techniques in microelectronics manufacturing, this volume is one of a series addressing a rapidly growing field affecting the integrated circuit industry. New applications in such areas as sensors, actuators and biomedical devices, are described.

This volwne contains the Proceedings of a two-week summer conference titled "Advances in Integrated Optics" held June 1-9, 1993, in Erice, Sicily. This was the 18th annual course organized by the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The term Integrated Optics signifies guided-wave optical circuits consisting of two or more devices on a single substrate. Since its inception in the late 1960's, Integrated Optics has evolved from a specialized research topic into a broad field of work, ranging from basic research through commercial applications. Today many devices are available on market while a big effort is devolved to research on integrated nonlinear optical devices. This conference was organized to provide a comprehensive survey of the frontiers of this technology, including fundamental concepts, nonlinear optical materials, devices both in the linear and nonlinear regimes, and selected applications. These Proceedings update and augment the material contained in a previous ISQE volume, "Integrated Optics: Physics and Applications", S. Martellucci and A. N. Chester, Eds. , NATO ASI Series B, Vol. 91 (Plenum, 1983). For some closely related technology, the reader many also wish to consult the ISQE volumes: "Optical Fiber Sensors", A. N. Chester, S. Martellucci and A. M. Scheggi, Eds. , NATO ASI Series E, Vol. 132 (Nijhoff, 1987) ; and, "Nonlinear Optics and Optical Computing", S. Martellucci and A. N. Chester, Eds. , E. Majorana Int'! Science Series, Vol. 49 (plenum, 1990).