Fabrication, Simulation and Characterisation of MEMS Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester for Low Frequency. (2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sharma, A.; Olszewski, O.Z.; Torres, J.; Mathewson, A.; Houlihan, R.
• Is Part Of: Procedia engineering. Volume 120(2015)
• Page Start: 645
• Page End: 650
• Publication Date: 2015
• Subjects: MEMS -- Energy Harvesting -- Vibrations -- Piezoelectric -- Aluminium Nitride; Engineering -- Congresses; Engineering -- Periodicals; Engineering; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 620.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.695
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-7058

Abstract

Abstract: A MEMS vibration energy harvester using an Aluminium Nitride (AlN) piezoelectric layer was designed, fabricated and characterized. The harvester was fabricated on an SOI wafer with a 30 μm device silicon layer which serves as the structural beam on which a 0.5 μm AlN layer is sandwiched between the top and bottom electrodes. The handle silicon serves as the proof mass. The harvester has a measured resonant frequency of around 114 Hz and an average output power of 54nW was measured at optimal load and a low level of acceleration (24 mili-g). A 3D finite element model of the harvester was created in COMSOL Multiphysics and the obtained results are in close agreement with the measured data.