Simulation of a MEMS piezoelectric energy harvester

Abstract

The growing demand of portable electronic devices has created the demand of long lasting recharged source of power. Non-environmental friendly conventional batteries with limited lifetimes are no longer a feasible option. This paper proposes a piezoelectric, vibration based energy harvester. The design and simulation of a MEMS piezoelectric cantilever beam with interdigitated electrodes is described. The micro-energy harvester is formed using a silicon substrate, ZnO piezoelectric layer, Pt electrodes and nickel proof mass. Finite element simulation was conducted using CoventorWare© to obtain the device at resonance frequency, output voltage and optimum dimensions. © 2010 EDA Publishing/DTIP.