Design, fabrication and performances of MEMS piezoelectric energy harvester

MEMS piezoelectric energy harvester is optimally designed and fabricated, and its vibration characteristics, output voltage, power, power spectral density (SD) and frequency response function under harmonic and random excitation is studied by theory analysis, simulation and experimental test. For the designed MEMS piezoelectric energy harvester, the accurate solutions and expressions of amplitude, voltage, power and power spectral density are derived. Then, vibration characteristic, voltage, power and power SD with different load resistance, sinusoidal acceleration and random acceleration SD are simulated and tested; moreover, frequency response function of MEMS piezoelectric energy harvester is obtained by experimental test, and the results are consistent with theoretical model. When sinusoidal acceleration is 0.6 g, the maximal amplitude of mass is 116 μm and the power density is 0.1 mW/cm³. By testing results, output voltage of piezoelectric energy harvester is proportional to the amplitude, and the amplitude at optimal load is smaller than of at open circuit because of the feedback effect of load resistance. In addition, output power SD linearly increases with acceleration SD increasing. When acceleration SD is 5 × 10^-4 (m/s²)²/Hz, power SD is 1.24 μW²/Hz.