Skip to main content

Brian Jensen

Associate Chair, Professor
Mechanical Engineering

350G EB - Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602

Biography

Research

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Biological MEMS, Electrical Contacts, Modeling of Systems in Diverse Energy Domains

Office Hours

Winter 2024
Mon: 3-4 PM
Wed: 3-4 PM
Thu: 2-3 PM

Biography
Office Hours
Graduate Students
Publications
Courses

Brian D. Jensen is a professor at Brigham Young University. He received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. He also received B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University. He also worked as a micromechanism designer at Sandia National Laboratories. He has performed research and published over 100 papers in design topics including microelectromechanical systems and compliant mechanisms, and he holds 12 U.S. patents. His work has been recognized by several best paper awards, the BYU Young Scholar Award, and the Utah Engineers Council Educator of the Year Award.

Open office hours.

Current Graduate Students:

Walter Fazio
Gregory Holst
Regis David
Kellen Moulton

Past Graduate Students: (click on titles to view thesis or dissertation)

M.S. Students:
1. Tyler Waterfall, M.S., Thesis Title: Design of Piezoresistive MEMS Force and Displacement Sensors
2. Tyler Pendleton, M.S., Thesis Title: Design and Fabrication of Rotationally Tristable Compliant Mechanisms
3. Michael Diehl, M.S., Thesis Title: Design and Fabrication of Out-Of-Plane Silicon Microneedles with Integrated Hydrophobic Microchannels
4. Benjamin Todd, M.S. Thesis Title: A Compliant Threshold Acceleration Sensor Integrated with Radio Frequency Indentifiable Tags
5. Kendall Teichert, M.S. Thesis Title: Multi-Physics Modeling and Calibration for Self-Sensing of Thermomechanical In-Plane Microactuators
6. Quentin Aten, M.S. Thesis Title: Design and Testing of a Pumpless Microelectromechanical System Nanoinjector
7. Kellen Moulton, M.S. Thesis Title: Straightness of Growth for Carbon Nanotube Microelectromechanical Systems

Ph.D. Students:
1. Regis David, Ph.D. Dissertation Title: Modeling and Testing of Macro-molecule Motion for Nanoinjection

This list is a partial list of publications authored by Dr. Brian Jensen

Manuscripts in Archival Journals

1. L. L.-W. Chow, Z. Wang, B. D. Jensen, K. Saitou, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Skin-effect self- heating in air-suspended RF MEMS transmission-line structures,” J. Microelectromech. Syst., vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 1622–1631, Dec. 2006.
2. Z. Wang, B. D. Jensen, L. W. Chow, J. L. Volakis, K. Saitou, and K. Kurabayashi, “Full-wave electromagnetic and thermal modeling for the prediction of heat-dissipation-induced RF-MEMS switch failure,” J. Micromech. Microeng., vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 157–164, 2006.
3. B. D. Jensen, L. .W. Chow, K. Huang, K. Saitou, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Effect of nanoscale heating on electrical transport in RF MEMS switch contacts,” J. Microelectromech. Syst., vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 935–946, 2005.
4. B. D. Jensen, K. Huang, L. W. Chow, and K. Kurabayashi, “Adhesion effects on contact opening dynamics in micromachined switches,” J. Applied Physics, vol. 97, 103536, 2005.
5. B. D. Jensen, K. Huang, L. W. Chow, and K. Kurabayashi, “Low-force contact heating and softening using micromechanical switches in diffusive-ballistic electron transport transition,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 86, 023507, 2005.
6. B. D. Jensen and L. L. Howell, “Bistable configurations of compliant mechanisms modeled using four links and translational joints,” J. Mechanical Design, vol. 126, no. 4, pp. 657–666, 2004.
7. B. D. Jensen and L. L. Howell, “Identification of compliant pseudo-rigid-body mechanism configurations resulting in bistable behavior,” J. Mechanical Design, vol. 125, no. 4, pp. 701–708, 2003.
8. B. D. Jensen, K. Saitou, J. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Fully integrated electrothermal multidomain modeling of RF MEMS switches,” IEEE Microwave Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 364–366, Sept. 2003.
9. B. D. Jensen, S. Mutlu, S. Miller, K. Kurabayashi, and J. J. Allen, “Shaped comb fingers for tailored electro-mechanical restoring force,” J. Microelectromech. Syst., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 373–383, June 2003.
10. B. D. Jensen and L. L. Howell, “The modeling of cross-axis flexural pivots,” Mechanism and Machine Theory, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 461–476, 2002.
11. B. D. Jensen, M. P. de Boer, N. D. Masters, F. Bitsie, and D. A. LaVan, “Interferometry of actuated microcantilevers to determine material properties and test structure nonidealities in MEMS,” J. Microelectromech. Syst., vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 336–346, Sept. 2001.
12. B. T. Edwards, B. D. Jensen, and L. L. Howell, “A pseudo-rigid-body model for initially-curved pinned-pinned segments used in compliant mechanisms,” J. Mechanical Design, vol. 123, no. 3, pp. 464–468, 2001.
13. B. D. Jensen, L. L. Howell, and L. G. Salmon, “Design of two-link, in-plane, bistable compliant micro-mechanisms,” J. Mechanical Design, vol. 121, no. 3, pp. 416–423, 1999.
14. S. C. Bromley, L. L. Howell, and B. D. Jensen, “Determination of maximum allowable strain for polysilicon micro devices,” Engineering Failure Analysis, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 27–41, 1999.

Manuscripts in Edited Books

1. N. D. Masters, M. P. de Boer, B. D. Jensen, M. S. Baker, and D. Koester, “Side-by-side comparison of passive MEMS residual strain test structures under residual compression,” in Mechanical Properties of Structural Films, ASTM STP 1413, S. B. Brown and C. L. Muhlstein, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, 2001.Manuscripts in Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings1. M. Shalaby, Z. Wang, L. L.-W. Chow, B. D. Jensen, J. L. Volakis, K. Kurabayashi, and K. Saitou, “Robust design of RF-MEMS cantilever switches using contact physics modeling,” in Proc. IMECE 2006, no. IMECE2006-15339, 2006.
2. A. Frischknecht and B. D. Jensen, “Influence of heat, force, and secondary factors on electrical contact resistance in microscale gold contacts,” in Proc. STLE/ASME Int. Joint Tribology Conf., no. IJTC2006-12293, 2006.
3. G. Gee and B. D. Jensen, “A dynamic model of microscale contact breaking in RF MEMS switches,” in Proc. STLE/ASME Int. Joint Tribology Conf., no. IJTC2006-12297, 2006.
4. B. D. Jensen, K. Saitou, J. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Impact of skin effect on thermal behavior of RF MEMS switches,” in Proc. 6th ASME/JSME Thermal Engineering Joint Conference, Paper No. TED-AJ03-420, March 2003.
5. M. Parkinson, B. D. Jensen, and K. Kurabayashi, “Design of compliant force and displacement amplification micro-mechanisms,” in Proc. ASME 2001 Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 2001, paper DETC2001/DAC-21089.
6. B. D. Jensen and L. L. Howell, “Identification of compliant pseudo-rigid-body mechanism configurations resulting in bistable behavior,” in Proc. ASME 2000 Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 2000, paper DETC2000/MECH-14147.
7. M. Parkinson, B. D. Jensen, and G. M. Roach, “Optimization-based design of a fully-compliant bistable micromechanism,” in Proc. ASME 2000 Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 2000, paper DETC2000/MECH-14119.
8. B. T. Edwards, B. D. Jensen, and L. L. Howell, “A pseudo-rigid-body model for functionally-binary pinned-pinned segments used in compliant mechanisms,” in Proc. 1999 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 1999, paper DETC99/DAC-8644.
9. P. G. Opdahl, B. D. Jensen, and L. L. Howell, “An investigation into compliant bistable mechanisms,” in Proc. 1998 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, Atlanta, GA, 1998, paper DETC98/MECH-5914.
10. B. D. Jensen, L. L. Howell, and L. G. Salmon, “Introduction of two-link, in-plane bistable compliant MEMS,” in Proc. 1998 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 1998, paper DETC98/MECH-5837.
11. B. D. Jensen, L. L. Howell, D. B. Gunyan, and L. G. Salmon, “The design and analysis of compliant MEMS using the pseudo-rigid-body model,” in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) 1997, Dallas, TX: 1997 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Nov. 1997, pp. 119–126.

Manuscripts in Panel or Committee-Reviewed Conference Proceedings

1. L. W. Chow, Z. Wang, B. D. Jensen, K. Saitou, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Skin effect aggregated heating in RF MEMS suspended structures,” in 2005 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, pp. 2143–2146, 2005.
2. B. D. Jensen, L. L.-W. Chow, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Adhesion effects on contact opening time in MEMS switches,” in Proc. ASME/STLE Int. Joint Tribology Conf., paper TRIB2004-64350, 2004.
3. Z. Wang, B. Jensen, L. Chow, J. Volakis, K. Saitou, and K. Kurabayashi, “Effects of dimple geometry on RF MEMS switch heating,” in ANTEM 2004/URSI Conf., July 2004.
4. B. D. Jensen, K. Huang, L. W. Chow, K. Saitou, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Asperity heating for repair of metal contact RF MEMS switches,” in 2004 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, pp. 1939–1942, 2004.
5. Z. Wang, B. Jensen, J. Volakis, K. Saitou, and K. Kurabayashi, “A preconditioner for hybrid matrices arising in RF MEMS switch analysis,” in 2004 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Int. Symp., vol. 3, June 2004.
6. B. D. Jensen, L. W. Chow, R. F. Webbink, K. Saitou, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Force dependence of RF MEMS switch contact heating,” in Proc. 2004 17th IEEE Int. Conf. Micro Electro Mech. Systems, 2004, pp. 137–140.7. B. D. Jensen, Z. Wang, K. Saitou, J. L. Volakis, and K. Kurabayashi, “Simultaneous electrical and thermal modeling of a contact-type RF MEMS switch,” in Microelectromechanical Systems, ASME Int. Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 2003, paper IMECE2003-41422.
8. B. D. Jensen, Z. Wang, L. Chow, K. Saitou, K. Kurabayashi, and J. L. Volakis, “Integrated electrothermal modeling of RF MEMS switches for improved power handling capability,” in IEEE Topical Conf. Wireless Communication Tech., Oct. 2003, pp. 10–11.
9. Z. Wang, B. D. Jensen, J. L. Volakis, K. Saitou, and K. Kurabayashi, “Analysis of RF-MEMS switches using finite element-boundary integration with moment method,” in 2003 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, vol. 2, 2003, pp. 173–176.
10. B. D. Jensen, M. B. Parkinson, K. Kurabayashi, L. L. Howell, and M. S. Baker, “Design optimization of a fully-compliant bistable micro-mechanism,” in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), 2001 ASME Int. Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 2001, paper IMECE2001/MEMS-23852.
11. B. D. Jensen, S. Mutlu, S. Miller, K. Kurabayashi, and J. J. Allen, “Design and simulation of shaped comb fingers for compensation of mechanical restoring force in tunable resonators,” in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), 2001 ASME Int. Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 2001, paper IMECE2001/MEMS-23826.
12. M. S. Rodgers, S. Kota, J. Hetrick, Z. Li, B. D. Jensen, T. W. Krygowski, S. Miller, S. M. Barnes, and M. S. Burg, “A new class of high-force, low-voltage compliant actuation systems,” in Hilton Head Workshop 2000, 2000.
13. M. S. Rodgers, J. J. Allen, B. D. Jensen, S. L. Miller, and K. S. Meeks, “Microelectromechanical high-density energy storage/rapid release system,” in Proc. 1999 Micromachined Devices and Components V, Santa Clara, CA: SPIE Vol. 3876, Sept. 1999, pp. 212–222.
14. M. P. de Boer, B. D. Jensen, and F. Bitsie, “A small area in-situ MEMS test structure to measure fracture strength by electrostatic probing,” in Proc. 1999 Materials Device Characterizatoin in Micromachining II, Santa Clara, CA: SPIE Vol. 3875, Sept. 1999, pp. 97–103.
15. B. D. Jensen, F. Bitsie, and M. P. de Boer, “Interferometric measurement for improved understanding of boundary effects in micromachined beams,” in Proc. 1999 Materials Device Characterizatoin in Micromachining II, Santa Clara, CA: SPIE Vol. 3875, Sept. 1999, pp. 61–72.
16. B. D. Jensen, M. P. de Boer, and S. L. Miller, “IMaP: Interferometry for material properties in MEMS,” in Tech. Proc. Second Int. Conf. Modeling and Simulation of Microsystems, San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 1999, pp. 206–209.

Patents Granted

• “Compliant Bistable Micromechanism,” Howell, L. L., Parkinson, M. B., Jensen, B. D. and Roach, G. M., U.S. Patent #7,075,209, issued July 11, 2006.
• “High-Performance Fully-Compliant Micro-Mechanisms for Force/Displacement Amplification,” Jensen, B. D., Farina, M., and Kurabayashi, K., U.S. Patent #6,748,818, issued June 15, 2004.
• “Method and System for Automated On-Chip Material and Structural Certification of MEMS Devices,” Sinclair, M. B., de Boer, M. P., Smith, N. F., Jensen, B. D., and Miller, S. L., U.S. Patent #6,567,715, issued May 20, 2003.
• “Electrostatic Apparatus for Measurement of Microfracture Strength,” de Boer, M. P., Bitsie, F., and Jensen, B. D., U.S. Patent #6,424,165, issued July 23, 2002.
• “Microelectromechanical Ratcheting Apparatus,” Barnes, S. M., Miller, S. L., Jensen, B. D., Rodgers, M. S., and Burg, M. S., U.S. Patent #6,313,562, issued November 6, 2001.
• “Bistable Compliant Mechanism,” Jensen, B. D., Howell, L. L., and Roach, G. M., U.S. Patent #6,215,081, issued April 20, 2001.
• “Compact Electrostatic Comb Actuator,” Rodgers, M. S., Burg, M. S., Jensen, B. D., Miller, S. L., and Barnes, S. M., U.S. Patent #6,133,670, issued Oct. 17, 2000.

I teach four undergraduate courses and two graduate courses.

MeEn 335, Dynamic System Modeling and Analysis, describes how to create mathematical models for mechanical, electrical, fluid, and thermal dynamic systems. It also discusses time-domain and frequency-domain analysis of the models.

MeEn 373, Introduction to Scientific Computing and Computer-Aided Engineering, teaches students introductory numerical methods and C++ programming. The course uses each topic as a vehicle for studying the other, providing an efficient coverage of introductory programming techniques and numerical analyses.

MeEn 437, Kinematics, describes the science of motion in time and space. The course focuses on mechanical linkages as examples of kinematic principles. The roles of displacement, velocity, and acceleration in motion are studied, and the dynamics of mechanisms are described. Several synthesis methods for mechanisms are also explored. I have also served as a coach for several capstone teams in MeEn 475 and 476. In this capacity, I guide a team of 4-7 students in designing and creating a product sponsored by industry.

MeEn 501, Stress Analysis and Design of Mechanical Structures, covers advanced mechanics including advanced beam theory, residual stress, torsion, and shear. Computer applications of these topics are also explored.

MeEn 550, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), describes the technologies used to create MEMS, as well as the important physical phenomena in designing and testing them. Students have an opportunity to build devices in BYU's cleanroom, and to model them using finite element and other software.

Courses Taught

Publications

Brandon Sargent Jared Butler Kendall Seymour David Bailey Brian D Jensen Spencer P Magleby Larry L Howell Brandon Sargent Nathan Brown Brian D Jensen Spencer P Magleby William G Pitt Larry L Howell Daniel G Prawitt Danni Porter Brian D Jensen John W. Sessions Bradley W. Hanks Dallin L. Lindstrom Sandra Hope Brian D Jensen John W. Sessions Dallin L. Lindstrom Bradley W. Hanks Sandra Hope Brian D Jensen Carlos Vilorio Brittany Stark Aaron R Hawkins Kendall Frogget Brian D Jensen Gregg Morris Warnick Matt Parkinson Yoke S Wong Brian D Jensen Spencer P Magleby Greg Roach Benjamin Todd Brian D Jensen Stephen Marshall Schultz Aaron R Hawkins

Presentations

Sandra Hope John Sessions Craig Skousen Brandon Garcia Kevin Price Brad Hanks Jonathan Kimball Alder Brian D Jensen
Jason M Lund Derric B Syme Richard R Vanfleet Robert Clinton Davis Brian D Jensen Brian D Iverson
Stephanie Morco Anton E Bowden Brian D Jensen Dustin Williams
Stephanie Morco Anton E Bowden Brian D Jensen Dustin Williams
Richard S Hansen Ryan Badger David McKenna Brian D Jensen Richard R Vanfleet Robert Clinton Davis David D Allred
Richard Scott Hansen David McKenna Brian D Jensen Richard R Vanfleet Robert Clinton Davis David D Allred
David McKenna Richard S. Hanson Brian D Jensen Robert Clinton Davis Richard R Vanfleet David D Allred