The last decade has witnessed significant advances in energy harvesting technologies as a possible alternative to provide a continuous power supply for small, low-power devices in applications, such as wireless sensing, data transmission, actuation, and medical implants. Piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) has been a salient topic in the literature and has attracted widespread attention from researchers due to its advantages of simple architecture, high power density, and good scalability. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the state-of-the-art of piezoelectric energy harvesting. Various key aspects to improve the overall performance of a PEH device are discussed, including basic fundamentals and configurations, materials and fabrication, performance enhancement mechanisms, applications, and future outlooks.

A comprehensive review on piezoelectric energy harvesting technology: Materials, mechanisms, and applications

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/1810/264501/1/Fu_et_al-2017-Progress_in_Material_Science-VoR.pdf

Advances in piezoelectric thin films for acoustic biosensors, acoustofluidics and lab-on-chip applications

With the increasing requirements for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) regarding stability, miniaturization and integration, novel materials such as wide band gap semiconductors are attracting more attention. Polycrystalline SiC has first been implemented into Si micromachining techniques, mainly as etch stop and protective layers. However, the outstanding properties of wide band gap semiconductors offer many more possibilities for the implementation of new functionalities. Now, a variety of technologies for SiC and group III nitrides exist to fabricate fully wide band gap semiconductor based MEMS. In this paper we first review the basic technology (deposition and etching) for group III nitrides and SiC with a special focus on the fabrication of three-dimensional microstructures relevant for MEMS. The basic operation principle for MEMS with wide band gap semiconductors is described. Finally, the first applications of SiC based MEMS are demonstrated, and innovative MEMS and NEMS devices are reviewed.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0022-3727/40/20/S19/pdf

Group III nitride and SiC based MEMS and NEMS: materials properties, technology and applications

A resonator structure (FBAR) made of electrodes sandwich a piezoelectric material. The intersection of the two conducting electrodes defines the active area of the acoustic resonator. The active area is divided into two concentric areas; a perimeter or frame, and a central region. An annulus is added to one of the two conducting electrodes to improve the electrical performance (in terms of Q).

Thin film bulk acoustic resonator with a mass loaded perimeter

Disclosed is an acoustic resonator that includes a substrate, a first electrode, a layer of piezoelectric material, a second electrode, and an alternating frame region. The first electrode is adjacent the substrate, and the first electrode has an outer perimeter. The piezoelectric layer is adjacent the first electrode. The second electrode is adjacent the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode has an outer perimeter. The alternating frame region is on one of the first and second electrodes.

Acoustic resonator performance enhancement using alternating frame structure

A pit (52) is formed in a substrate comprising a silicon wafer (51) on a surface of which a silicon oxide thin layer (53) is formed. A sandwich structure (60) comprising a piezoelectric layer (62) and lower and upper electrodes (61, 63) joined to both surfaces of the piezoelectric layer is disposed so as to stride over the pit (52). The upper surface of the lower electrode (61) and the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer (62) joined to the upper surface of the lower electrode are treated so that the RMS variation of the height thereof is equal to 25 nm or less. The thickness of the lower electrode (61) is set to 150 nm or less. According to such a structure, there is provided a high-performance thin film bulk acoustic resonator which are excellent in electromechanical coupling coefficient and acoustic quality factor.

Thin film acoustic resonator and method of producing the same

Thin film bulk acoustic resonator and method of producing the same

A thin film piezoelectric device includes a substrate (12) having a via hole (22) and a piezoelectric laminated structure (14) consisting of a lower electrode (15), a piezoelectric film (16), and an upper electrode (17) formed on the substrate (12) via an insulation layer (13). A plurality of thin film piezoelectric oscillators (210, 220) are formed for the via hole (22). The piezoelectric laminated structure (14) includes a diaphragm (23) located to face the via hole (22) and a support area other than it. The thin film piezoelectric oscillators (210, 220) are electrically connected by the lower electrode (15). When the straight line in the substrate plane passing through the centers (1, 2) of the diaphragm (23) of the thin film piezoelectric oscillators (210, 220) has the length D1 of the segment passing through the support area and the distance between the centers of the diaphragms of the thin film piezoelectric oscillators (210, 220) is D0, the ratio D1/D0 is 0.1 to 0.5. The via hole (22) is formed by the deep graving type reactive ion etching method.

Thin film piezoelectric oscillator, thin film piezoelectric device, and manufacturing method thereof

Influence of metal electrodes on crystal orientation of aluminum nitride thin films

A piezoelectric thin film resonator has a substrate and a piezoelectric layered structure including a lower electrode, piezoelectric aluminum nitride thin film with c-axis orientation and upper electrode formed on the substrate in this order. The lower electrode are made of a metal thin film including a layer containing ruthenium as a major component having a full-width half maximum (FWHM) of a rocking curve of a (0002) diffraction peak of ruthenium of 3.0° or less. The piezoelectric aluminum nitride thin film formed on the lower electrode has a full-width half maximum (FWHM) of a rocking curve of a (0002) diffraction peak of 2.0° or less.

Keigo Nagao

Papers

Thin film acoustic resonator and method of producing the same

Thin film bulk acoustic resonator and method of producing the same

Thin film piezoelectric oscillator, thin film piezoelectric device, and manufacturing method thereof

Influence of metal electrodes on crystal orientation of aluminum nitride thin films

Aluminum nitride thin film, composite film containing the same and piezoelectric thin film resonator using the same