Design and fabrication of a PZT cantilever for low frequency vibration energy harvesting

In this study, a PZT cantilever with a Si proof mass is designed and fabricated for a low frequency energy harvesting application. A mathematical model of a multi-layer composite beam was derived and applied in a parametric analysis of the piezoelectric cantilever. Finally, the dimensions of the cantilever were determined for the resonant frequency of the cantilever. Our cantilever design was based on MATLAB and ANSYS simulations. For this simulation, the proof mass volumes were varied from 0 to 0.5 mm3 and resonant frequencies were calculated from 833.5 Hz to 125.5 Hz, respectively. Based on simulation, we fabricated a device with beam dimensions of about 4.10 mm x 0.48 mm x 0.012 mm, and an integrated Si proof mass with dimensions of about 0.481 mm x 0.48 mm x 0.45 mm. The resonant frequency, maximum peak voltage, and highest average power of the cantilever device were 224.8 Hz, 4.8 mV, and 2.24 nW, respectively.     

Micromachining of a bimorph Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) cantilever using a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) process for energy harvesting application

We designed and fabricated a bimorph Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) cantilever with an integrated Si proof mass to obtain a low resonant frequency for an energy harvesting application. The cantilevers were fabricated on the micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) scale. A mode of piezoelectric conversions were d31 and d33 mode in cantilever vibration Therefore, we designed and fabricated a single cantilever with d31 unimorph, d31 bimorph, d33 unimorph, and d33 bimorph modes. Finally, we fabricated a device with beam dimensions of about 5,400 microm x 480 microm x 14 microm (< +/- 5%), and an integrated Si proof mass with dimensions of about 1,481 microm x 988 microm x 450 microm (< +/- 5%). In order to measure the d31 and d33 modes, we fabricated top and bottom electrodes. The distance between the top electrodes was 50 microm and the resonant frequency was 89.4 Hz. The average powers of the d31 unimorph, d31 bimorph, d33 unimorph, and d33 bimorph modes were 3.90, 9.60, 21.42, and 22.47 nW at 0.8 g (g = 9.8 m/s2) and optimal resistance, respectively.     

宽频压电振动能量采集器的力-电输出特性分析

压电振动能量采集器是一种新型的力(加速度)-电耦合转换输出器件,为了提高单自由度悬臂梁压电振动能量采集器的输出功率和工作频带,通过在单自由度悬臂梁压电振动能量采集器模型基础上增加一个弹性放大器的方法,构造形成了具有两自由度的宽频压电振动能量采集器。利用ANSYS有限元软件建立了宽频压电能量采集器的有限元力-电耦合模型,数值分析了模型中各参数(如质量比、阻尼比以及负载电阻等)对系统力特性(速度、加速度等)和电输出特性(电压、电流、输出功率等)的影响。研究结果表明：大的质量比和小的阻尼比能够提高压电悬臂梁能量采集器的输出功率并拓展其工作频带;短路谐振状态下的匹配电阻能够使能量采集器产生较大的输出电流,而开路谐振状态的匹配电阻能够使能量采集器产生较大的输出电压,优化后的短路谐振和开路谐振最大输出功率分别达到4386.5 mW/g2和4263.4 mW/g2。频带宽度达到10 Hz,且是SDOF系统的5倍。     

Liquid-phase chemical and biochemical detection using fully integrated magnetically actuated complementary metal oxide semiconductor resonant cantilever sensor systems

A novel resonant cantilever sensor system for liquid-phase applications is presented. The monolithic system consists of an array of four electromagnetically actuated cantilevers with transistor-based readout, an analog feedback circuit, and a digital interface. The biochemical sensor chip with a size of 3 mm x 4.5 mm is fabricated in an industrial complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process with subsequent CMOS-compatible micromachining. A package, which protects the electrical components and the associated circuitry against liquid exposure, allows for a stable operation of the resonant cantilevers in liquid environments. The device is operated at the fundamental cantilever resonance frequency of approximately 200 kHz in water with a frequency stability better than 3 Hz. The use of the integrated CMOS resonant cantilever system as a chemical sensor for the detection of volatile organic compounds in liquid environments is demonstrated. Low concentrations of toluene, xylenes, and ethylbenzene in deionized water have been detected by coating the cantilevers with chemically sensitive polymers. The liquid-phase detection of analyte concentrations in the single-ppm range has been achieved. Furthermore, the application of this sensor system to the label-free detection of biomarkers, such as tumor markers, is shown. By functionalizing the cantilevers with anti-prostate-specific antigen antibody (anti-PSA), the corresponding antigen (PSA) has been detected at concentration levels as low as 10 ng/mL in a sample fluid.     

基于双ZnO薄膜单元并联结构的微型压电振动能量采集器(英文)

报道了一种基于ZnO压电薄膜双单元结构的压电式微型振动能量采集器,其中的双压电元件是并联结构.采用射频磁控溅射技术制备ZnO压电薄膜,同时,该压电式振动能量采集器采用微加工技术制作.测试表明该器件的共振频率为1 300 Hz,基于ZnO薄膜双单元并联结构的压电式振动能量采集器比起具有同样尺寸的传统型压电振动能量采集器有更高的输出性能.在频率为1 300 Hz,加速度为10 m/s2的外界振动激励下,该压电式振动能量采集器在1 MΩ负载电阻上产生的电压为2.06 V;当负载电阻为0.6 MΩ时,输出功率最大为1.25μW.     

Low-frequency meandering piezoelectric vibration energy harvester

The design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel low-frequency meandering piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is presented. The energy harvester is designed for sensor node applications where the node targets a width-to-length aspect ratio close to 1:1 while simultaneously achieving a low resonant frequency. The measured power output and normalized power density are 118 μW and 5.02 μW/mm(3)/g(2), respectively, when excited by an acceleration magnitude of 0.2 g at 49.7 Hz. The energy harvester consists of a laser-machined meandering PZT bimorph. Two methods, strain-matched electrode (SME) and strain-matched polarization (SMP), are utilized to mitigate the voltage cancellation caused by having both positive and negative strains in the piezoelectric layer during operation at the meander's first resonant frequency. We have performed finite element analysis and experimentally demonstrated a prototype harvester with a footprint of 27 x 23 mm and a height of 6.5 mm including the tip mass. The device achieves a low resonant frequency while maintaining a form factor suitable for sensor node applications. The meandering design enables energy harvesters to harvest energy from vibration sources with frequencies less than 100 Hz within a compact footprint.     

Energy Scavenging From Low-Frequency Vibrations by Using Frequency Up-Conversion for Wireless Sensor Applications

This paper presents an electromagnetic (EM) vibration-to-electrical power generator for wireless sensors, which can scavenge energy from low-frequency external vibrations. For most wireless applications, the ambient vibration is generally at very low frequencies (1-100 Hz), and traditional scavenging techniques cannot generate enough energy for proper operation. The reported generator up-converts low-frequency environmental vibrations to a higher frequency through a mechanical frequency up-converter using a magnet, and hence provides more efficient energy conversion at low frequencies. Power is generated by means of EM induction using a magnet and coils on top of resonating cantilever beams. The proposed approach has been demonstrated using a macroscale version, which provides 170 nW maximum power and 6 mV maximum voltage. For the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) version, the expected maximum power and maximum voltage from a single cantilever is 3.97 muW and 76 mV, respectively, in vacuum. Power level can be increased further by using series-connected cantilevers without increasing the overall generator area, which is 4 mm². This system provides more than an order of magnitude better energy conversion for 10-100 Hz ambient vibration range, compared to a conventional large mass/coil system.     

Study of Silicon Cantilevers by the Photoacoustic Elastic Bending Method

Rectangular silicon cantilevers are studied by the photoacoustic (PA) elastic bending method. Experimental signals versus modulation frequency of the excitation optical beam are measured and analyzed in a frequency range from 20 Hz to 50 000 Hz. The procedure for experimental signal correction to eliminate the frequency characteristics of the measuring system is given. The corrected experimental signal shows a good correlation with theoretically calculated PA signal at frequencies below 32 000 Hz. The corrected experimental PA elastic bending signals for cantilevers with different thicknesses are analyzed. The experimental results allow identifying the resonant frequency (the first resonant mode) of the cantilever vibrations. These values are in good agreement with the theoretically computed values. A theoretical model of the optically excited Si cantilever is derived, taking into account plasmaelastic, thermoelastic, and thermodiffusion mechanisms. Dynamic relations for the amplitude and phase of electronic and thermal elastic vibrations in optically excited cantilevers are derived. The theoretical model is compared to the experimental results.     

基于谐振器的多模态压电换能结构研究

传统压电悬臂梁俘能器一般通过其基频与环境中某一激振频率的匹配来收集这个频率上的振动能,为俘获环境中多个激振频率上的能量,提出一种在压电悬臂梁上附加谐振器的多模态换能结构,由该结构组成的俘能器的前两阶共振频率可以被设计在给定的激振频率上,从而有效地收集分布在这两个频率上的能量.实验表明附加谐振器有效地提高了俘能效率,其中一阶模态的俘能效率相对附加等量质量块时提高了71％,二阶模态的俘能效率与原压电悬臂梁的一阶模态相当.     

球形永磁阵列振动能量收集器设计与优化

为实现多方向环境能量收集,设计球形电磁式振动能量采集器。基于二维Halbach阵列设计的球面Halbach永磁阵列,较传统永磁阵列能提高线圈中磁链变化梯度,从而提高结构输出性能;建立数学解析模型,据解析结果对模型各参数进行优化;对该模型进行有限元仿真分析及实验性能测试。结果表明,该模型能有效响应空间任意方向振动,进而转化为电能;外部激励为10 Hz、激励为水平方向、负载阻值50 Ω时,该球形振动能量采集器输出电能达最大,单个线圈中最大负载功率可达0.8 mW。     

基于MEMS技术的三明治型电磁式微振动能量采集器

本文中设计了一种结构新颖的三明治型电磁式微振动能量采集器,主要包括上线圈、下线圈和由永磁体与硅基平面镍弹簧构成的拾振系统.上、下线圈的对称性分布有利于充分利用永磁体周围的磁场从而提高整个器件的机械能-电能转换效率.实验样机主要采用MEMS微加工技术制作,其中的硅基平面镍弹簧采用体硅微加工和微电镀技术制作,双层铜线圈采用微电镀和聚酰亚胺绝缘层技术制作.实验样机的体积约为0.32 cm3.振动特性测试表明,在外界加速度小于8 m/s2时,永磁体振幅随着加速度的增加而增加,在加速度大于8 m/s2以后,振幅几乎不再增加,出现饱和现象.电学特性测试表明,在8 m/s2加速度作用下,单线圈和串联线圈产生的感应电压峰峰值分别为82.5 mV和125 mV,因此,三明治结构的新型设计使得输出电压增加了51.5%.另外,在加速度为8 m/s2、频率为280.9 Hz的外界振动激励下,实验样机产生的最大负载电压和最大负载功率分别为125 mV和13.2μW.     

磁力非线性耦合的I-L组合压电梁俘能器发电性能试验研究EI北大核心CSCD

针对线性的压电振动俘能器俘能频带过窄,输出较低等问题,提出了一种磁力非线性耦合的I-L组合压电梁俘能器。俘能器由带永磁铁的I型压电梁和L型压电梁组成,可通过调节两永磁铁间的水平距离,得到不同的非线性磁力耦合效应。试验结果表明:存在最优电阻使压电俘能系统的输出功率最大;对比无磁力系统,磁力耦合的I-L组合压电梁俘能器共振频率发生了明显的偏移:I型压电梁向左偏移,L型压电梁向右偏移,拓宽了系统的俘能频带;当激励加速度为0.2 g水平距离为20 mm、激振频率为18.4 Hz时,俘能器最大可得到1.2 mW的输出功率。     

Detection of bacteria based on the thermomechanical noise of a nanomechanical resonator: origin of the response and detection limits

We have measured the effect of bacteria adsorption on the resonant frequency of microcantilevers as a function of the adsorption position and vibration mode. The resonant frequencies were measured from the Brownian fluctuations of the cantilever tip. We found that the sign and amount of the resonant frequency change is determined by the position and extent of the adsorption on the cantilever with regard to the shape of the vibration mode. To explain these results, a theoretical one-dimensional model is proposed. We obtain analytical expressions for the resonant frequency that accurately fit the data obtained by the finite element method. More importantly, the theory data shows a good agreement with the experiments. Our results indicate that there exist two opposite mechanisms that can produce a significant resonant frequency shift: the stiffness and the mass of the bacterial cells. Based on the thermomechanical noise, we analyse the regions of the cantilever of lowest and highest sensitivity to the attachment of bacteria. The combination of high vibration modes and the confinement of the adsorption to defined regions of the cantilever allows the detection of single bacterial cells by only measuring the Brownian fluctuations. This study can be extended to smaller cantilevers and other biological systems such as proteins and nucleic acids.     

碰撞式微型压电风能采集器实验研究(英文)

为提高基于风致振动机理的微型风能采集器在低风速下的输出功率,设计了一种新型的碰撞式微型压电风能采集器.采集器主要由圆柱形钝体、铰接分隔板、压电悬臂梁和支架组成.通过铰接分隔板和压电悬臂梁的碰撞有效降低了采集器的工作风速.加工制作了采集器的原理样机并在小型风洞内进行了实验测量.通过实验发现分隔板与压电片横向间距对采集器的工作风速和输出功率有很大的影响.压电悬臂梁自由端添加质量块可以提高输出功率.风速15 m/s、外接200 kΩ优化负载时,采集器最大输出功率为64μW.     

共振频率可调式非线性压电振动能量收集器

振动能量回收技术能够将环境中的机械振动能转换成电能,进而为微功耗装置供电,具有良好的应用前景。设计了一种利用压电材料的新型振动能量收集器,该机电耦合结构由一对非对称压电悬臂梁组成,悬臂梁末端固定有永磁体,利用永磁体产生的非线性力,实现了悬臂梁共振频率与外界激振频率的匹配调节。提出了该结构的理论模型,借助Matlab/Simulink数值分析软件对理论模型进行了仿真分析,并通过实验进行了验证。实验结果表明外界激励加速度幅值为3 m/s~2的时,结构即能实现较大频带范围内的频率匹配调节,频带范围不低于6.5Hz,最大回收功率不低于2 mW。     

Bimorph piezoelectric vibration energy harvester with flexible 3D meshed-core structure for low frequency vibration

This paper proposes a bimorph piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (PVEH) with a flexible 3D meshed-core elastic layer for improving the output power while lowering the resonance frequency. Owing to the high void ratio of the 3D meshed-core structure, the bending stiffness of the cantilever can be lowered. Thus, the deflection of the harvester and the strain in the piezoelectric layer increase. According to vibration tests, the resonance frequency is 15.8% lower and the output power is 68% higher than in the conventional solid-core PVEH. Compared to the solid-core PVEH, the proposed meshed-core PVEH (10 mm × 20 mm × 280 μm) has 1.3 times larger tip deflection and the maximum output power is 24.6 μW under resonance condition at 18.7 Hz and 0.2G acceleration. Hence it can be used as a power supply for low-power-consumption sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks.     

Electromechanical analytical model of shape memory alloy based tunable cantilevered piezoelectric energy harvester

International Journal of Mechanics and Materials in Design - The resonant frequency of electromechanical energy harvester should be tuned to ambient frequency so as to maximize the harvester power....     

Variations in properties of atomic force microscope cantilevers fashioned from the same wafer

Variations in the mechanical properties of nominally identical V-shaped atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers sourced from the same silicon nitride wafer have been quantified by measuring the spring constants, resonant frequencies and quality factors of 101 specimens as received from the manufacturer using the thermal spectrum method of Hutter and Bechhoefer. The addition of thin gold coatings always lowers the resonant frequency but the corresponding spring constant can either increase or decrease as a result. The observed broad spread of spring constant values and the lack of correlations between the resonant frequency and spring constant can be attributed in part to the non-uniformity of composition and material properties in the thinnest dimension of such cantilevers which arise from the manufacturing process. The effects of coatings are dictated by the competing influence of differences in mass density and Young's modulus between the silicon nitride and the gold coating. An implication of this study is that cantilever calibration methods based on the assumption of uniformity of material properties of the cantilever in the thinnest dimension are unlikely to be applicable for such cantilevers.     

A new detection system for extremely small vertically mounted cantilevers

Detection techniques currently used in scanning force microscopy impose limitations on the geometrical dimensions of the probes and, as a consequence, on their force sensitivity and temporal response. A new technique, based on scattered evanescent electromagnetic waves (SEW), is presented here that can detect the displacement of the extreme end of a vertically mounted cantilever. The resolution of this method is tested using different cantilever sizes and a theoretical model is developed to maximize the detection sensitivity. The applications presented here clearly show that the SEW detection system enables the use of force sensors with sub-micron size, opening new possibilities in the investigation of biomolecular systems and high speed imaging. Two types of cantilevers were successfully tested: a high force sensitivity lever with a spring constant of 0.17?pN?nm(-1) and a resonant frequency of 32?kHz; and a high speed lever with a spring constant of 50?pN?nm(-1) and a resonant frequency of 1.8?MHz. Both these force sensors were fabricated by modifying commercial microcantilevers in a focused ion beam system. It is important to emphasize that these modified cantilevers could not be detected by the conventional optical detection system used in commercial atomic force microscopes.     

Nanocantilever signal transduction by electron transfer

Microfabricated cantilever beams promise to bring about a revolution in the field of chemical, physical, and biological sensor development. The resonance frequency of a microfabricated cantilever shifts sensitively because of mass loading from molecular adsorption. The minimum detectable adsorbed mass on a cantilever sensor can be increased by orders of magnitude by changing the dimensions of the device; smaller and thicker cantilevers offer higher resonance frequency and therefore better mass detection sensitivity. Here we describe micromachined silicon cantilevers that are 0.5 to 4 microns in length, fabricated with the use of a focused ion beam (FIB). In addition, we demonstrate a technique for detection of the cantilever resonance frequency that is based on electron transfer.