SBIR Phase I: MEMS Micro-Energy Harvester for Integrated Self-Powered Wireless Sensors

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目是开发一个自供电的微机电系统（MEMS）压电无线传感器平台架构，该架构基于微振动能量采集器（uVEH），可以与MEMS传感器单片集成。目前市售的振动能量采集器太大且昂贵，无法与无线传感器集成，但小型廉价的MEMS解决方案提供的功率太少。第一阶段项目的重点是使压电双晶片MEMS能量采集器技术的原型。初步建模预测，所提出的架构可以产生至少两到三个数量级的功率比目前的单元件表面微机械MEMS uVEH。该项目的研究目标包括原型uVEH的建模、设计、工艺开发和制造、电气特性以及原型与充电电子设备的混合集成。 由此产生的MEMS uVEH原型可用于替换现有无线传感器微粒中的电池或对其充电。 在随后的阶段中，MEMS uVEH将与其他MEMS传感器单片集成，以形成微型自供电无线微尘的传感器核心。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过消除困难或昂贵的电池更换来增加无线传感器网络（WSNs）的使用。预计无线传感器网络将为工业、政府和消费者节省数百万美元，因为它消除了能源使用中的浪费和损失、流程效率低下和问题以及设备和基础设施故障和停机时间。嵌入式传感器可以监测能源使用、空气质量和设备健康状况，以及化学和生物制剂以及过程化学等危险条件。然而，据估计，无线传感器网络的90%的设想用途是不切实际的，因为电池将是不可访问的或昂贵的访问。在许多这些嵌入式应用中，太阳能和热梯度能源不可用，环境振动可能是唯一的外部能源。发展所提出的体积微制造传感器平台，以生产小型，廉价的自供电传感器将使无线传感器网络被用于许多应用程序以前关闭他们，因为电池的维护成本，交通不便，或所需的传感器节点的数量。新的工艺，特别是压电材料沉积工艺，将被开发出来，将增加学生和其他研究人员可用的材料库。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop a self-powered Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) piezoelectric wireless sensor platform architecture based on a Micro-Vibrational-Energy-Harvester (uVEH) that can be monolithically integrated with MEMS sensors. Current commercially available vibrational energy harvesters are too large and expensive to integrate with wireless sensors, but small, inexpensive MEMS solutions provide too little power. The Phase I project focuses on prototyping the enabling piezoelectric bimorph MEMS energy harvester technology. Preliminary modeling predicts that the proposed architecture could produce at least two to three orders of magnitude higher power than current single element surface-micromachined MEMS uVEHs. The research objectives for this project include modeling, design, process development, and fabrication of the prototype uVEH, electrical characterization, and hybrid integration of the prototype with charging electronics. The resulting MEMS uVEH prototype can be used to replace or recharge the batteries in existing wireless sensor motes. In subsequent phases the MEMS uVEH will be integrated monolithically with other MEMS sensors to form the sensor core of a miniature self-powered wireless mote. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to enable increased usage of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) by eliminating difficult or costly battery replacement. WSNs have been predicted to provide many millions of dollars of savings to industry, government, and consumers by eliminating waste and losses in energy usage, process inefficiencies and problems, and equipment and infrastructure failure and downtime. Embedded sensors can monitor energy usage, air quality, and equipment health as well hazardous conditions such as chemical and biological agents and process chemistries. However, it has been estimated that 90% of envisaged uses of WSNs are impractical because the batteries would be inaccessible or prohibitively expensive to access. In many of these embedded applications solar and thermal gradient energy sources are not available, and ambient vibrations may be the only external source of energy. Development of the proposed volume-microfabricated sensor platform to produce small, inexpensive self-powered sensors would enable WSNs to be used in many applications previously closed to them because of battery maintenance costs, inaccessibility, or the number of sensor nodes required. The new processes, especially piezoelectric material deposition processes, that will be developed will add to the repertoire of materials available by students and other researchers.