Wanjun Wang Elected SPIE Fellow

March 25, 2008

Dr. Wanjun Wang, Professor, in the Mechanical Engineering Department, is honored by The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) as one of 72 new Fellows of the Society this year. Fellows are members of distinction who have made significant scientific and technical contributions in the multidisciplinary fields of optics, photonics, and imaging. Fellows are honored for their technical achievement, their service to the general optics community and to SPIE in particular. More than 500 SPIE members have become Fellows since the Society’s inception in 1955.

“The annual recognition of Fellows provides an opportunity for us to acknowledge outstanding members for their service to the general optics community,” says Kevin G. Harding, SPIE President.

Wang’s work encompasses several areas of research: design and fabrication of micro-optic components and systems; developments in UV lithography of ultrathick photoresists for Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and bioMEMS; and research in photosensors and position measurement systems for mechanical applications.

One of his many notable innovations is the novel technology to fabricate out-of-plane, pre-aligned microrefractive lenses based on UV lithography of thick resists. This technology made possible the creation of optical platforms similar to conventional optical tables in microscale, and helped improve the precision, increase the efficiency, reduce the cost, and make batch-production of integrated, free-space, on-chip optical systems a reality for many applications.

Wang’s research in MEMS and microfabrication concentrated in polymer-based microdevices and UV-LIGA technology. His research covered the UV-LIGA fabricated micro power relays, microfluidic systems such as micromixers and micropumps, and bioMEMS systems for biomedical and biological applications.

Wang is a senior member of the IEEE Society of Instrumentation and Measurements and a member of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers. Especially active with SPIE, Wang has been involved in organizing the MOEMS-MEMS Symposium (part of SPIE Photonics West) since 1999. For his efforts in this area, Wang received two Excellence and Service Recognition Awards from SPIE, one in 2005 and another in 2007. Additionally, Wang served as the Guest Editor for the Special Issue on Microfluidic and Bio-MEMS Devices and Systems in the SPIE Journal of Microlithography, Microfabrication, and Microsystems.

SPIE is an international society advancing an interdisciplinary approach to the science and application of light. Servicing the interests of its more than 188,000 active constituents representing 138 different countries, SPIE acts as a catalyst for collaboration among technical disciplines for information exchange, continuing education, publishing opportunities, patent precedent, and career and professional growth. As the organizer and sponsor of approximately 26 major conferences and education programs annually in North American, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific, SPIE provides publishing, speaking, and learning opportunities on emerging technologies. For more information, visit SPIE.org.

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