Energy Harvesting – Access Provider: Tyndall

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Access Description
Technical Offering
Main Equipment
Typical Application
Case Study
Responsible
Key Specifications

Piezoelectric MEMS Devices

Access Description
Thin film piezoelectric material (AlN and ScAlN) for energy applications
Technical Offering
  • AlN and Sc-AlN film deposition processes
  • Piezoelectric films characterisation
Main Equipment
  • AlN and Sc-AlN deposition tool (EVATEC ClusterLine PVD system)
  • Polytec Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) – dynamic characterisation of MEMS
  • Zygo White Lite Interferometer (WLI) – static profiling of MEMS
  • COMSOL – Finite Element Modeling (FEM) software
  • Microscopy techniques: SEM, FIB, AFM, XRD
  • Piezo-meter (Piezo-Test) for d33 piezoelectric response measurement
  • On-wafer probe stations for electrical characterisation
  • Laboratory equipment: oscilloscopes, power sources, signal generators, impedance meters, spectrum analysers, semiconductor device analysers, etc.
  • Vacuum chamber for vibrating structures (works with Polytec system, die level testing).
Typical applications
PiezoMEMS team in Tyndall is dedicated to developing piezoelectric MEMS devices and processes that can be used in multiple applications. The main material that we investigate is piezoelectric Aluminium Nitride (AlN) and Sc-alloyed AlN films. Typical applications include:

  • acoustic resonators for sensing applications
  • piezoelectric micro-actuators
  • ultrasonic devices
  • piezoelectric vibrational energy harvesters
Case Study


Key specifications
Typical performance of harvester at resonance (function of received acceleration):

  • Tip displacement up to ≈1mm
  • Powers up to ≈10µW
  • Voltage (peak-peak) up to ≈10V
  • Resonance frequency ≈10’s Hz – 100’s Hz
  • Device impedance ≈ kΩ – MΩ
  • AlN on silicon
  • Typical FWHM ≈1.5 – 2.5°
  • Typical d33 ≈4.8 pm/V
  • Typical d31 ≈2 pm/V
  • AlN enhancement through doping
Contact:
PiezoMEMS team members
Dr. Humberto Campanella
Dr. Ruth Houlihan
Dr. Oskar Z. Olszewski