Design, Fabrication and Characterization of a Micromachined Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Excited by Ambient Vibrations

Abstract

This research work presents the design, fabrication and characterization of micromachined piezoelectric energy harvester stimulated by ambient random vibrations utilizing AlN as a piezoelectric material. The device design consists of a silicon cantilever beam on which AlN is sandwiched between two electrodes and a silicon seismic mass at the end of the cantilever beam. The generated electric power of the devices was experimentally measured at various acceleration levels. A maximum power of 34 μW was obtained at an acceleration value of 2g for the device which measures 5.6 x 5.6 mm2. Various unpackaged devices were tested and assessed in terms of the generated power and resonant frequency at various acceleration values.