Coupling piezoelectrics for human-scale energy scavenging & integration of MEMS accelerometers in flexible electronics
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Park, Euiyoung
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Abstract
This thesis is presented in two parts: the first project, titled ”Coupling Piezoelectrics for Human-Scale Energy Scavenging”, is completed at the Georgia Institute of Technology and explores the possibility of converting waste energy from human footsteps into usable energy. Mechanical energy exists almost everywhere there is movement–vibrations in bridges, wind spinning turbines and human steps onto the floor–and the direct piezoelectric effect inherent in piezoelectric materials converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Piezoelectricity can be advantageous in certain applications due to its chemical stability, scalability, and low dependence on environmental conditions. Two distinct excitation methods for energy harvesting optimization are discussed. First, a compressive system is studied through finite element analysis and experimentally with the goal of simulating human footfall. The second utilizes a plucking motion to couple high resonant frequencies inherent in piezoelectrics to low human scale frequencies. The second project, titled ”Integration of MEMS Accelerometers in Flexible Electronics”, is conducted at Robert Bosch GmbH in Renningen, Germany, under the department of Microsystems and Nanotechnologies (CR/ARY). All figures and values are represented in arbitrary units due to the confidential nature of the project. The project aims to integrate silicon sensors into flexible electronics, as the field of electronics continues to grow, but a concrete integration and packaging method for flexible sensor technology is yet to exist. Advanced interconnect materials are studied as a method to mitigate stress concentration at interconnect level and allow for chip integration onto flexible boards. Embedding of thinned accelerometer structures into flexible molds is also explored, from designing of the system to optimization of manufacturing process through finite element analysis and experimental methods. Sensor performance of each system is measured to study the influence of mechanical stress through bending and thermal stress through manufacturing onto the MEMS core structure.
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2017-12-19
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