Parametric analysis of piezoelectric resonances of AlN layouts for vibrating energy harvesting

In this paper, we perform an accurate parametric analysis of piezoelectric cantilevers for micro-scale vibrating energy harvesting applications. The presented model considers the electromechanical coupled equations including the losses due to the damping effect and losses of internal frictions. By assuming an in-phase sinusoidal source as external applied vibration force, the model studies the best electromechanical efficiency by analysing the optimal load resistance for a piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) cantilever operating around 1100 Hz. The approach of the model allows to define the design criteria for efficient vibrating energy harvesting AlN cantilevers according with the actual technology. The model is extended to ring layouts able to work at lower frequencies. Copyright © 2011 American Scientific Publishers.