Title :
An electret-based electrostatic /spl mu/-generator
Author :
Sterken, T. ; Fiorini, P. ; Baert, K. ; Puers, R. ; Borghs, G.
Author_Institution :
IMEC, Leuven, Belgium
Abstract :
This paper proposes a new approach towards mechanical waste energy scavenging, using a micromachined electrostatic converter. The device consists of a vibration sensitive variable capacitor polarized by an electret. The variation of the capacitance results in a current through a load circuit. A physical model of the device is described; in order to obtain a closed form expression for the converted power a linear model is presented. This model shows that 50 /spl mu/W can be generated with a 5 /spl mu/m vibration. A first prototype design based on SOI MPW-service is proposed.
Keywords :
capacitance; capacitors; electrets; electrostatic devices; micromechanical devices; power convertors; 50 muW; Si; capacitance; electret; electret-based electrostatic /spl mu/-generator; mechanical waste energy scavenging; micromachined electrostatic converter; vibration sensitive variable capacitor; Buffer storage; Capacitance; Capacitors; Differential equations; Electrets; Electrodes; Electrostatics; Resistors; Springs; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
TRANSDUCERS, Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 12th International Conference on, 2003
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7731-1
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.2003.1217009