Novel multi-modal wideband vibrations MEMS energy harvesting concepts for self-powered Internet of Things (IoT) applications, with focus on converter’s size and power scalability

27 April 2016
April 27, 2016

Date: April 27, 2016      
Time: 10:00
Location: Meeting room Ofek - Polo Scientifico e Tecnologico "Fabio Ferrari" (Building Povo 1, via Sommarive 5 – Povo, Trento)

Speaker
Guido Sordo, University of Trento

Abstract
This doctorate thesis is focused on the design, fabrication and characterization of Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) Vibrational Energy Harvesters (VEHs). The targeted field of application of such devices is the emerging Internet of Things (IoT), in particular for Ultra Low Power (ULP) autonomous applications. In order to realize the ubiquitous paradigm remote and distributed nodes have to be small and in high number. The power requirement of such nodes is generally satisfied by means of batteries, which require periodic replacement and so are not desirables in an autonomous system. To overcome this limitation devices able to harvest energy from the surrounding environment have been investigated. Among the different sources of energy that could be harvested, the vibrational one results promising due to its high power density and its spreading in most environments of interest. The devices developed convert the vibrational energy scattered in the environment into electrical energy by means of a piezoelectric material. The thesis presents studies on both the mechanical and the electric design of a MEMS piezoelectric VEH, with particular attention on multi-modal design. The thesis presents a novel multi-modal device able to extract energy from multiple resonances in a wider bandwidth. Such a design presents two enabling features for IoT application, a wider working band and the compactness, making it more attractive with respect to cantilever like devices.

Contact: Guido Sordo, guido.sordo [at] unitn.it