M-ERA.NET is an EU funded network which has been established in 2012 to support and increase the coordination of European research and innovation programmes and related funding in materials science and engineering.

Over the last three years, twenty M-ERA.NET European projects have been awarded the title of “Success story M-ERA.NET”. At the Electronic Ceramics Department we have participated at the two” Success story projects The first project entitled “Integrated sensors with microfluidic features using LTCC technology – INTCERSEN” was led by Asst. Prof. Hana Uršič Nemevšek. The main focus of the INTCERSEN was the development and fabrication design of innovative ceramic microfluidic devices with integrated sensing features with applications on bio-medical, environment and security. The novelty of the project was the unconventional use of LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) technology, which enables the production of three-dimensional ceramic structures with integrated electrochemical sensors, microfluidic features and electronics for signal processing and wireless communication.  The partners on the project were the following:

1. Technical University Iasi, Iasi, Romania, coordinator
2. National Institute for Materials Physics, Magurele, Romania
3. Intelectro Iasi SRL, Iasi, Romania
4. Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
5. HIPOT-RR, Otočec, Slovenia
6. DROPSENS, Llanera, Spain
7. Centre of Excelence NAMASTE, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The second project entitled “Piezoelectric MEMS for efficient energy harvesting – PiezoMEMS”, was led by Prof. Barbara Malič, Head of the Electronic Ceramics Department.

Within the project PiezoMEMS we developed a new piezoelectric harvester based on micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices and lead-free piezoelectric materials together with the storage module and electronic circuitry. The project focused on small-scale power energy harvesting techniques (1-100 µW) for autonomous operation of portable or embedded micro devices and systems. The heart of the device is a MEMS component with 20 micrometric cantilevers covered with piezoelectric thin film (ZnO, KNN and AlN piezoelectric materials have been tested) and electrodes. The cantilevers are electrically connected to increase the efficiency of energy scavenging. The entire system, which is integrated into a ceramic (LTCC-based) package, is dedicated to powering portable biomedical devices or sensors networks. The partners on the project were the following:

1. National Institute for R&D in Microtechnologies (IMT), Bucharest, Romania, coordinator
2. “Ilie Murgulescu” Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bucharest, Romania
3. Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
4. HIPOT-RR, Otočec, Slovenia
5. Instytut Technologii Elektronowej, Warsaw, Poland
6. Romelgen SRL, Bucharest, Romania
7. MEDBRYT Sp., Warsaw, Poland

PiezoMEMS project website: http://www.imt.ro/piezomems/