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A. Alamin Dow, U. Schmid, N. Kherani:
"Unimorph and bimorph piezoelectric energy harvester stimulated by β-emitting radioisotopes: a modeling study";
Microsystem Technologies - Micro- and Nanosystems - Information Storage and Processing Systems, 20 (2014), 933 - 944.

We use energy methods and lumped-element modelling in the analysis and optimization of a miniaturized aluminum nitride based piezoelectric energy harvester which utilizes tritiated silicon as an uninterrupted energy source. Tritiated silicon serves as a radioisotope
source which emits energetic β particles that results in an electrostatic force between the radioactive source and
collector that traps the emitted particles. The generated electrostatic force will drive the charging and actuating
cycles of the piezoelectric cantilever leading to a continuous charge-discharge cycles, thus inducing vibrations in
the piezoelectric cantilever. The energy generated from the piezoelectric thin-film is appropriately rectified and
stored to provide continuous and uninterrupted electrical power to a low-power devices. The modelled results have
been benchmarked against available experimental data for a unimorph piezoelectric harvester with very good agree-
ment. Furthermore, the model was applied to a bimorph piezoelectric harvester, showing that the output power can
be doubled in relation to a unimorph design. Moreover, the model accounts for the entire range of design and operating
factors such as the ambient medium and associated damping losses, current leakage, and device scaling.

We use energy methods and lumped-element modelling in the analysis and optimization of a miniaturized aluminum nitride based piezoelectric energy harvester which utilizes tritiated silicon as an uninterrupted energy source. Tritiated silicon serves as a radioisotope
source which emits energetic β particles that results in an electrostatic force between the radioactive source and
collector that traps the emitted particles. The generated electrostatic force will drive the charging and actuating
cycles of the piezoelectric cantilever leading to a continuous charge-discharge cycles, thus inducing vibrations in
the piezoelectric cantilever. The energy generated from the piezoelectric thin-film is appropriately rectified and
stored to provide continuous and uninterrupted electrical power to a low-power devices. The modelled results have
been benchmarked against available experimental data for a unimorph piezoelectric harvester with very good agree-
ment. Furthermore, the model was applied to a bimorph piezoelectric harvester, showing that the output power can
be doubled in relation to a unimorph design. Moreover, the model accounts for the entire range of design and operating
factors such as the ambient medium and associated damping losses, current leakage, and device scaling.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00542-014-2093-z

Project Head Ulrich Schmid:
Mikrosystemtechnik Projektkonto Schmid