Piezoelectric Thin Films For

Energy Harvesting Devices

X. Wan, R. Steenwelle, M.D.Nguyen, M. Dekkers, D.H.A. Blank,
R.J.M.Vullers and G. Rijnders

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Outline
General introduction and motivation
Fabrication and characterization
Piezoelectric properties of PbZrxTi(1-x)O3 epitaxial
thin films
Device testing
Summary

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Harvesting sources
Ambient light harvested
power
Indoor 10 W/cm2
Outdoor 100
mw/cm2
Thermal energy harvested
power
Human 30 W/cm2
Industrial 1-10
mw/cm2
Vibration harvested power
Human 4 W/cm2
Industrial 100
w/cm2
RF harvested
power
Cell phone 0.1
W/cm2
*Vullers et al, Micropower Energy Harvesting, Solid-State Electronics 53
(2009) 684693

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Electromagneti
c
Electrostatic
Piezoelectric

UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE.
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Concept

V
P

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e31, f

0 33

(e31, f ) 2

0 33

(1)

(2)

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Tomodifythepiezoelectricand
ferroelectricpropertiesofPZTthinfilms.
Relativelylowerthedielectric
permittivityanddielectriclosses.
Highpiezoelectriccoefficientmaterial.
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Piezo MEMS
Epitaxial PZT thin films with
enhanced piezoelectric properties
grow on standard Silicon or SOI
wafers
Compatible with MEMS process,
enable production in industry
scales.
Reduced piezo component size
lead to revolutionary high density
integration

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O
T
SR PZ

O
SR

Si wafer

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Fabrication and characterization

Pulsed laser deposition
(PLD)
Wet etching BHF (HF
12.5%)
Reactive ion etching
(Plasma therm 790)
Deep reactive ion
etching (DRIE)
Etc.

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X-ray diffraction
(XRD)
Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM)
Ferroelectric tester
(P-E loop)
Probe station with
Keithley
semiconductor
system
Laser Doppler
vibrometer UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE.
MATERIALS
SCIENCE
4 point INORGANIC
bending
setup

Epitaxial PZT thin film on silicon substrates

SRO
PZT
SRO
YSZ
Si

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Piezoelectric properties of PbZrxTi(1-x)O3

epitaxial thin films

PZT on Silicon
PZT on STO

N. A. Pertsev, V. G. Kukhar, H. Kohlstedt, and R. Waser, Phys. Rev. B. 67, 054107 (2003)

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Stability range of the monoclinic rphase in epitaxial single-domain

PZT films as a function of Zr
content. Squares show the
calculated positions of two
boundaries of the monoclinic gap
on the misfit-strain axis at T=25 C.
The dashed line is a guide for the
eye.

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Piezoelectric properties of PbZrxTi(1-x)O3

epitaxial thin films

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Piezoelectric properties of PbZrxTi(1-x)O3

epitaxial thin films
Both dielectric constant and
e31 show a maximun value
at PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 thin films.

Figure of merit of PbZrxTi(1-x)O3 thin films.

Ti/(Ti+Zr)

0.80

0.70

0.60

0.55

0.48

0.40

e31,f (C/m2)

4.6

7.0

20.4

10.6

9.1

8.2

677.1

839.5

1960.2

1375.7

1113.8

943.9

6.59

23.98

9.23

8.40

8.04

FOM e312/0r (GPa) 3.53

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Device testing

Photo from R.Elfrink, T.M.Kamel et al. J. Micromech. Microeng. 19 (2009) 094005

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Device testing

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Summary
Epitaxial PZT thin films with various compositions were
grown on standard Silicon and SOI wafers
A maximum e31,f =20 (3) C/m2 was achieved in PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3
thin films.
Morphotropic phase boundary shifted to Ti-rich in the phase
diagram due to the stain relaxation.
Relevant devices are fabricated and measured.

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Thank you for your attention.

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