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Microsystem Technologies
Published in: Microsystem Technologies 4-5/2014

01-04-2014 | Technical Paper

Evaluation of low-acceleration MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesting devices

Authors: Nathan Jackson, Rosemary O’Keeffe, Finbarr Waldron, Mike O’Neill, Alan Mathewson

Published in: Microsystem Technologies | Issue 4-5/2014

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Abstract

Microelectromechanical systems-based piezoelectric energy harvesting device research is continuing to increase due to high demands in powering wireless sensor networks. This paper compares three different cantilever structures that have been the most widely used designs in MEMS energy harvesting devices. The cantilever structures consist of a wide beam, narrow beam, and trapezoidal beam structure. Aluminium nitride was used as the piezoelectric material because of its CMOS compatibility. Finite element modelling was used to investigate the theoretical outputs of the devices prior to fabrication. The three different structures were fabricated using standard micro-fabrication techniques on SOI wafers in order to verify the results experimentally. The finite element modelling results agree with the experimental results. The AlN deposited on the experimental wafers had a (002) FWHM rocking curve value of 1.7°. The power density based on the volume of space needed to fabricate the structures was 2.5, 0.78, and 0.65 mW/cm3/g2 at resonant frequency for the wide, trapezoidal, and narrow beam structures respectively. The bandwidth of the devices is also an important parameter when selecting the cantilever structure. An array of the cantilevers over a 4 cm2 area resulted in a bandwidth of was 4.8, 9, and 26.4 Hz for the wide, trapezoidal, and narrow beam structures respectively.
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Metadata
Title
Evaluation of low-acceleration MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesting devices
Authors
Nathan Jackson
Rosemary O’Keeffe
Finbarr Waldron
Mike O’Neill
Alan Mathewson
Publication date
01-04-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Microsystem Technologies / Issue 4-5/2014
Print ISSN: 0946-7076
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1858
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-013-2006-6

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