Enhancing displacement of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin-film membrane microactuators via a dual electrode design

A common design of piezoelectric microactuators adopts a membrane structure that consists of a base silicon diaphragm, a layer of bottom electrode, a layer of piezoelectric thin film, and a layer of top electrode. In particular, the piezoelectric thin film is often made of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) for its high piezoelectric constants. When driven electrically, the PZT thin film extends or contracts flexing the membrane and generating an out-of-plane displacement. Many manufacturing defects, however, could significantly reduce the designed actuator displacement. Examples include residual stresses, warping, non-uniform etching of the silicon diaphragm, and misalignment between the top electrode and the silicon diaphragm. The purpose of this paper is to develop a dual top-electrode design to enhance the actuator displacement. In this design, the top electrode consists of two disconnected (thus independent) electrode areas, while a continuous bottom electrode serves as the ground. The two top electrodes are located in two regions with opposite curvature when the diaphragm deflects. When the two top electrodes are driven in an out-of-phase manner, the actuator displacement is enhanced. Finite element analyses and experimental measurements both confirm the feasibility of this design. When manufacturing defects are present, experimental results indicate that the actuator displacement can be optimized by adjusting the phase difference between the dual top electrodes.     

Effect of electrode size and silicon residue on piezoelectric thin-film membrane actuators

Piezoelectric micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) often adopt a membrane structure to facilitate sensing or actuation. Design parameters, such as membrane size, thickness of the piezoelectric thin film, and electrode types, have been studied to maximize actuation, sensitivity, or coupling coefficient. This paper is to demonstrate numerically and experimentally that the size of silicon residue and its relative size to the top electrode are two critical yet unrecognized parameters in maximizing the actuation displacement of PZT thin-film membrane actuators. To study effects of the silicon residue, we have developed a finite element model using ANSYS. The model consists of five components: a square passive silicon membrane, a silicon substrate, a PZT thin film, a square top electrode, and a silicon residue region. In particular, the silicon residue has a circular inner diameter and a square outer perimeter with a trapezoidal cross section. Predictions of the finite element model lead to several major results. First, when the silicon residue is present, there exists an optimal size of the top electrode maximizing the actuator displacement. Second, the optimal electrode size is roughly 50–60% of the inner diameters of the silicon residue. The displacement of the membrane actuator declines significantly as the electrode overlaps with the silicon residue. Third, the maximal actuator displacement decreases as the inner diameter of the silicon residue decreases. Aside from the finite element analysis, a mechanics-of-material model is also developed to predict the electrode size that maximizes the actuator displacement. To verify the simulation results, eight PZT thin-film membrane actuators with progressive electrode sizes are fabricated. These actuators all have a square membrane of 800 μm × 800 μm with the inner diameter of the silicon residue controlled between 500 and 750 μm. A laser Doppler vibrometer is used to measure the actuator displacements. The experimental measurements confirm that there exists an optimal size of the top electrode maximizing the actuator displacement.     

A piezoelectric micro-cantilever bio-sensor using the mass-micro-balancing technique with self-excitation

A biosensor was developed for using in a Lab-On-a-Chip (LOC). The sensor detects the change in the resonance frequency of a micro-cantilever with a piezoelectric film. This is the mass micro-balancing technique, which has been successfully used for detecting bio-materials in the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The PZT film, a piezoelectric film, is designed to act as both sensor and actuator. The geometry of the micro cantilever is optimized to maximize the sensitivity and minimize the environmental effects such as viscous damping and added mass effect in liquid. The fabricated sensor is composed of a 100 μm long, 30 μm wide, and 5 μm thick cantilever with a 2.5 μm thick piezoelectric (PZT) layer on it. The ratio of thickness to length of the micro cantilever is very high compared to others in micro cantilever-based studies. This high aspect ratio is the key to maximize the sensitivity and minimize the environmental effects. The fabricated micro sensor was tested by detecting the mussel gluing protein, the insulin-anti insulin binding protein and the poly T-sequence DNA.     

Finite element analysis and experiments on a silicon membrane actuated by an epitaxial PZT thin film for localized-mass sensing applications

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a piezoelectric membrane actuated by an epitaxial piezoelectric Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ (PZT) thin film for localized-mass sensing applications. The fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric circular membranes based on epitaxial thin films prepared on a silicon wafer are presented. The dynamic behavior and mass sensing performance of the proposed structure are experimentally investigated and compared to numerical analyses. A 1500 μm diameter silicon membrane actuated by a 150 nm thick epitaxial PZT film exhibits a strong harmonic oscillation response with a high quality factor of 110-144 depending on the resonant mode at atmospheric pressure. Different aspects related to the effect of the mass position and of the resonant mode on the mass sensitivity as well as the minimum detectable mass are evaluated. The operation of the epitaxial PZT membrane as a mass sensor is determined by loading polystyrene microspheres. The mass sensitivity is a function of the mass position, which is the highest at the antinodal points. The epitaxial PZT membrane exhibits a mass sensitivity in the order of 10⁻¹² g/Hz with a minimum detectable mass of 5 ng. The results reveal that the mass sensor realized with the epitaxial PZT thin film, which is capable of generating a high actuating force, is a promising candidate for the development of high performance mass sensors. Such devices can be applied for various biological and chemical sensing applications.     

Theoretical analysis of the sensing and actuating effects of piezoelectric multimorph cantilevers

The paper presents the modeling of two types of piezoelectric microcantilevers, the two-layer and two-segment piezoelectric cantilevers, in which the two piezoelectric parts perform sensor and actuator functions, respectively. An analytic model is proposed to evaluate the sensing and actuating effects of multiporph microcantilevers formed of several layers or segments of piezoelectric materials. The analytical model is used to analyze the tip deflection of the cantilever and the piezoelectric charge generated on the sensor element as a function of the microcantilever geometry. The cantilevers of sensing and actuation are compared for the different working situations of the two-layer and two-segment cantilevers. The theoretical results can be used to optimize the design of the piezoelectric cantilever structures.     

Modeling of single and multilayer polyvinylidene fluoride film for micro pump actuation

Micro pumps are essential components of micro devices such as drug delivery systems. Large numbers of pumps have been proposed based on different actuating principles. Piezoelectric actuation offers advantages such as reliability and energy efficiency. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based piezoelectric actuation for micro pumps is predominantly explored despite its disadvantages such as brittle nature, low straining and difficulties in processing. Polymer piezoelectric materials like polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) could be promising replacements for PZT owing to their availability in form of films and good strain coefficients. Very limited literature on micro pump with PVDF as an actuator is available. In this paper, finite element analysis (FEA) model of a micro pump actuator using single and multilayer PVDF for actuation is developed in ANSYS^?. The model takes into account the influence of driving voltage and actuator geometry. The central deflection of the pump diaphragm which is instrumental in defining the pump performance is studied for driving voltages of 100?C200?V. The deflection of the pump diaphragm for single layer and multilayer actuation are determined from the model. It could be inferred from the initial part of the study that pump performance depends on driving voltage and actuator film thickness. In order to reduce driving voltage requirement multilayer stacked actuator is tried with four different configurations of the layers. It is concluded that stacking configuration of parallel energized straight polarity PVDF layers yielded best central deflection. An attempt is made to compare the performance of multilayer actuator with an equivalent single thick layer actuator. It is noticed that the multilayer actuator performance was better by about 101% when number of layers is doubled.     

Creep behavior of undoped and La–Nb codoped PZT based micro-piezoactuators for micro-optical modulator applications

Time-dependent deformation (creep) behaviors of piezoelectric microactuators have been investigated. Position (or gap height) drift of microbridged actuator beam and its displacement amplitude change with time could be attributed to the anelastic behavior of the driving unit itself based on lead zirconate titanate (PZT) in the actuator, and as well as to the mechanical stress states established in the microactuator beam after the surface release of the micromachined actuator structure. From creep analyses of a simple microcantilever and microbridge beam structures, it was turned out that the overall creep behavior in microbridged piezoactuator structure was mainly dependent on the actuator beam initial deflection configuration governed both by residual stress of the actuating part Pt/PZT/Pt stack and the stress gradient through the silicon nitride (SiNx) microbridge beam.     

PVDF压电薄膜传感器的研制

采用28μm厚的4层聚偏二氟乙烯(PVDF)压电薄膜研制了PVDF压电传感器,该传感器表面电极形状应用剪切加丙酮腐蚀的方法制成,保证了传感器有一定的非金属化的边缘。对于电极的引出是将传感器上、下电极面引脚错开,引出电极采用比较容易做到的穿透式,并用压接端子压接和空心小铆钉铆接的2种方法。     

Microfabricated Lamb wave device based on PZT sol-gel thin film formechanical transport of solid particles and liquids

The fabrication using silicon micromachining and characterization of an acoustic Lamb wave actuator is presented. The intended use of the device is for mass transport and sensor applications. The device consists of dual interdigitated transducers patterned on a thin-film composite membrane of silicon nitride, platinum, and a sol-gel-derived piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) thin film. The acoustic properties of the device are presented along with preliminary applications to mechanical transport and liquid delivery systems. Improved acoustic signals and improved mass transport are achieved with PZT over present Lamb wave devices utilizing ZnO or AlN as the piezoelectric transducer     

微位移系统中压电陶瓷驱动器迟滞建模

针对超精密微位移系统中压电陶瓷驱动器的迟滞非线性问题,提出了一种基于遗传反向传播(BP)神经网络的压电陶瓷迟滞非线性建模方法.通过电涡流位移传感器获取压电陶瓷驱动器不同电压值下所对应的位移值;利用六次多项式拟合获得迟滞的数学模型,从而建立基于遗传BP神经网络的迟滞,模型.实验结果显示:该迟滞模型在神经网络测试下的最大误差为0.082 1 μm,平均绝对误差为0.0158 μm.表明,所建的迟滞模型能够较精确地反映出压电陶瓷驱动器的迟滞特性,同时为微位移控制系统设计提供了一定的理论基础.     

基于应变式传感器的压电陶瓷定位系统设计

基于压电陶瓷驱动的纳米扫描和定位系统,是原子力显微镜系统的关键部件。本文设计了基于电阻式应变传感器(SGS）的压电陶瓷微纳米位移定位系统。该系统在硬件上采用仪表放大器对SGS应变信号进行RF滤波、放大、模拟滤波处理得到与压电陶瓷位移变化线性相关的电压信号,该信号由高精度AD采集,并通过控制器输出到上位机软件MATLAB中进行噪声分析、FIR数字滤波去噪、线性度分析。实验结果表明,该位移检测系统输出电压噪声峰峰值小于0.5mV,输出非线性误差小于0.06%,可实现2nm的位移分辨率。该定位系统可以应用于原子力显微镜的开发中。     

Development of piezoelectric MEMS deformable mirror

This paper reports on piezoelectric micro-electro-mechanical systems deformable mirrors with high-density actuator array for low-voltage and high-resolution retinal imaging with adaptive optics. The deformable mirror was composed of unimorph structure of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film deposited on Pt-coated silicon on insulator substrate and a diaphragm of 10?mm in diameter formed by backside-etching the Si handle wafer. 61 hexagonal electrodes were laid out on the PZT thin film for the high-density actuator array. In order to reduce the dead space for the lead lines between the electrodes and connecting pads, a polyimide layer with through holes on the electrodes was patterned as an electrical insulator. To confirm the application feasibility of the fabricated DMs, displacement profiles of the actuators were measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer. Independent applications of voltages on individual actuators were confirmed.     

Characterisation of PZT thin film micro-actuators using a silicon micro-force sensor

This paper reports on the measurements of displacement and blocking force of piezoelectric micro-cantilevers. The free displacement was studied using a surface profiler and a laser vibrometer. The experimental data were compared with an analytical model which showed that the PZT thin film has a Young's modulus of 110 GPa and a piezoelectric coefficient d_31,f of 30 pC/N. The blocking force was investigated by means of a micro-machined silicon force sensor based on the silicon piezoresistive effect. The generated force was detected by measuring a change in voltage within a piezoresistors bridge. The sensor was calibrated using a commercial nano-indenter as a force and displacement standard. Application of the method showed that a 700 μm long micro-cantilever showed a maximum displacement of 800 nm and a blocking force of 0.1 mN at an actuation voltage of 5 V, within experimental error of the theoretical predictions based on the known piezoelectric and elastic properties of the PZT film.     

Active-head sliders using piezoelectric thin films for flying height control

This paper describes design and fabrication of a MEMS-based active-head slider using a PZT thin film for flying height control in hard disk drives. A piezoelectric cantilever integrated in the air bearing slider is used to adjust the flying height individually. An air bearing surface (ABS) geometry that minimizes the aerodynamic lift force generated beneath the head has been designed based on the molecular gas film lubrication (MGL) theory. The sliders with PZT actuators were fabricated monolithically by silicon micromachining process. Performance of the actuator was tested by using an optical surface profiler. Furthermore, the fabricated slider was mounted on a suspension and the flying height of the slider above a spinning disk has been measured by multiple wavelength interferometry. Change in the head-disk spacing has been successfully confirmed by applying voltage to the actuator.     

基于单神经元PID控制器的压电陶瓷控制方法

卫星地面综合测试是卫星研制过程中的重要环节,对系统功能验证及性能评估具有重要作用。传统的卫星地面综合测试系统存在研制周期长、投入较大、自动化流程不够完整、可重用性较差等不足。而北斗导航卫星地面综合测试系统采用分布式、高实时性、可配置、多主机的集成体系结构,是集计算机通讯、实时控制、实时数据处理、事后分析等功能于一体的测试系统,适用于从卫星总装集成到发射各个阶段的电气测试。通过卫星系统级的各项接口、功能、性能指标测试,表明该系统满足支持系统论证、状态确认、问题排查等测试需求,有力支撑了北斗导航卫星的成功发射和在轨运行。     

Finite element analysis of a IBM suspension integrated with a PZT microactuator

This paper presents a piezoelectric-based microactuator concept that could provide an economical and easily integrated option for dual stage actuation used in hard disk drives (HDDs). A simple cantilever beam integrated with the PZT actuator was simulated first in order to testify the driving mechanics of the new design. A modern suspension (IBM Deskstar DTLA-307015) integrated with the developed PZT actuator was then simulated by finite element method (FEM). Theoretical dynamic and electrostatic analyses were performed to investigated the resonant frequency and displacement sensitivity. Good dynamic characteristics were obtained. Further simulation was done based on the optimized structure of the actuator/suspension assembly and results show that >1 μm tip stroke can be obtained while the driving voltage is only 20 V. A 10 V is sufficient to get >1 μm tip stroke if double layer PZT actuator is used.     

复合式微型能量采集器结构设计及关键技术

提出一种压电效应和电磁效应相结合的微型能量采集器,基础结构为压电换能器(PZT)基八悬臂梁、长有Au线圈质量块、铷铁硼(NdFeB)永磁体.利用有限元分析软件ANSYS对微结构建立模型,通过结构力学特性分析,得到所设计结构的一阶谐振频率为214.7 Hz,为后期测试提供指导意义.制定微机电系统(MEMS)加工工艺流程,利用L-Edit软件设计并绘制所需掩模版.利用溶胶-凝胶(sol-gel)技术制备厚度为3 529 nm的PZT压电厚膜,实现了其与基底Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si/SiO2的良好异质集成,完成微型能量采集器制造过程中关键一步.经介电性能测试,PZT厚膜具有双蝴蝶状的极化反转峰,体现出较高的介电性能和耐压强度.400 kV/cm驱动条件下,测得PZT厚膜的电滞回线,其剩余极化强度Pr为37.7 μC/cm2,矫顽场强为41.2kV/cm,表现出良好的铁电性能.     

Hydrogen sensor based on Pd-functionalized film bulk acoustic resonator

We present an application of the Pd-functionalized film bulk acoustic resonator for hydrogen detection. The resonator consisted of an AlN piezoelectric stack and a Bragg reflector has a working resonance near 2.23 GHz and a high performance. A 50 nm thick Pd film was coated on the top electrode as a specific layer to capture hydrogen. The absorption of hydrogen can trigger changes of elastic properties of the Pd layer, which affects the resonance frequency of the resonator. The experimental results show that the Pd-functionalized film bulk acoustic resonator can yield a rapid, sensitive, reversible and reproducible response to hydrogen in the concentrations from 0.3% to 2%. The advantages of this sensor, including the simple fabrication process, ease of detection method, rapid response and high sensitivity and working at room temperature, make this promising in the early alarm of hydrogen leaking.     

Integrated distributed sensing and active vibration suppression of flexible manipulators using distributed piezoelectrics

Structural oscillation of flexible robot manipulators would severely hamper their operation accuracy and precision. This article presents an integrated distributed sensor and active distributed vibration actuator design for elastic or flexible robot structures. The proposed distributed sensor and actuator is a layer, or multilayer of piezoelectric material directly attached on the flexible component needed to be monitored and controlled. The integrated piezoelectric sensor/actuator can monitor the oscillation as well as actively and directly constrain the undesirable oscillation of the flexible robot manipulators by direct/converse piezoelectric effects, respectively. A general theory on the distributed sensing and active vibration control using the piezoelectric elements is first proposed. An equivalent finite element formulation is also developed. A physical model with distributed sensor/actuator is tested in laboratory; and a finite element model with the piezoelectric actuator is simulated. The distributed sensing and control effectiveness are studied.     

Evaluation of electromechanical properties and field concentrations near electrodes in piezoelectric thick films for MEMS mirrors by simulations and tests

We examine the nonlinear electromechanical response of piezoelectric mirrors driven by PZT thick films in a combined numerical and experimental investigation. First, some electromechanical tests were performed to measure the response (displacement versus load, displacement versus electric field) of the PZT thick films on elastic layers. A finite element analysis was then employed to determine the material properties in the PZT thick films using measured data. Next, the mirror tilt angle and electromechanical field concentrations due to electrodes in piezoelectric mirrors under electric fields were analyzed by introducing a model for polarization switching in local areas, and a nonlinear behavior was discussed in detail. The mirrors consisted of four fully or partially poled PZT unimorphs. Test results on the mirror tilt angle versus electric field, which verify the model, were also presented.