+44 (0)24 7671 8970
More publications     •     Advertise with us     •     Contact us
 
News Article

Panasonic & imec develop tiny MEMS energy harvester

News

Composed of many silicon related compounds, this device is suited to automotive applications

A team from imec and Panasonic have developed a new vibration energy harvester based on a corrugated SiO2-Si3N4 electret.

An electret is a dielectric material that has a quasi-permanent electric charge or dipole polarisation. An electret generates internal and external electric fields, and is the electrostatic equivalent of a permanent magnet.

This latest MEMS device has a footprint of only 1cm² and has been developed for tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). It generates a maximum power of 160µW when excited by a sinusoidal vibration.

With noise vibrations such as in a tire, the generated power is between 10 and 50µW, which is enough to power a simple TPMS module.

This harvester was presented at the recent 17th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, based in Barcelona.

To improve road safety, TPMS have been made mandatory for all new cars in the US, with the EU to follow. For the comfort of the user and to limit the costs, TPMS need a compact and long-lasting power supply that doesn't need to be replaced during the lifetime of the tire.

Because there are abundant mechanical vibrations inside a tire, a potential solution is to use a vibration energy harvester. Such harvesters convert ambient mechanical energy into useable electrical energy.

They can be fabricated with MEMS fabrication technologies, allowing for low production costs and a high reliability.

The new harvester that imec has developed is an electrostatic harvester. It is fabricated by stacking three wafers and bonding them. The central wafer contains a mechanical resonator made of a proof mass and springs etched in silicon.

The proof mass carries a corrugated electret on its bottom side, obtained by Corona charging of a SiO2-Si3N4 stack. The bottom wafer is made of glass and includes two metallic electrodes that are connected to a load circuit. The top glass wafer is used as capping to protect the device and to allow vacuum encapsulation.

A schematic of the device is shown at the top of this story.

When the harvester is subjected to an external vibration, the proof mass moves relative to the package and eventually starts to resonate. As a result, the electric field generated by the permanent charges of the electret induces countercharges on both electrodes of the bottom wafer.

The amount of countercharges on each electrode is equal to the flux of the electric displacement across their surfaces. When the mass supporting the electret moves, the electric field along the gap changes and so do the countercharges induced on each electrode. This results in an electric current flowing through the load circuit connected between the two electrodes.

Purdue, imec, Indiana announce partnership
Resilinc partners with SEMI on supply chain resilience
NIO and NXP collaborate on 4D imaging radar deployment
Panasonic Industry digitally transforms with Blue Yonder
Global semiconductor sales decrease 8.7%
MIT engineers “grow” atomically thin transistors on top of computer chips
Keysight joins TSMC Open Innovation Platform 3DFabric Alliance
Leti Innovation Days to explore microelectronics’ transformational role
Quantum expansion
indie launches 'breakthrough' 120 GHz radar transceiver
Wafer fab equipment - facing uncertain times?
Renesas expands focus on India
Neuralink selects Takano Wafer Particle Measurement System
Micron reveals committee members
Avoiding unscheduled downtime in with Preventive Vacuum Service
NFC chip market size to surpass US$ 7.6 billion
Fujifilm breaks ground on new €30 million European expansion
Fraunhofer IIS/EAS selects Achronix embedded FPGAs
Siemens announces certifications for TSMC’s latest processes
EU Chips Act triggers further €7.4bn investment
ASE recognised for excellence by Texas Instruments
Atomera signs license agreement with STMicroelectronics
Gartner forecasts worldwide semiconductor revenue to decline 11% in 2023
CHIPS for America outlines vision for the National Semiconductor Technology Center
TSMC showcases new technology developments
Alphawave Semi showcases 3nm connectivity solutions
Greene Tweed to open new facility in Korea
Infineon enables next-generation automotive E/E architectures
Global AFM market to reach $861.5 million
Cepton expands proprietary chipset
Semtech adds two industry veterans to board of directors
Specialty gas expansion
×
Search the news archive

To close this popup you can press escape or click the close icon.
Logo
×
Logo
×
Register - Step 1

You may choose to subscribe to the Silicon Semiconductor Magazine, the Silicon Semiconductor Newsletter, or both. You may also request additional information if required, before submitting your application.


Please subscribe me to:

 

You chose the industry type of "Other"

Please enter the industry that you work in:
Please enter the industry that you work in: