A High Power Density Electrostatic Vibration-to-Electric Energy Converter Based On An In-Plane Overlap Plate (IPOP) Mechanism

Abstract: In this paper, design, fabrication and characterization issues of a bulk silicon-based, vibration powered, electric energy generator are addressed. The converter is based on an In-Plane Overlap Plate (IPOP) configuration [1]. Measurements have shown that with a theoretically lossless electronics and a starting voltage of 5 V, power density of 58 $\mu$W/cm3 is achievable at the resonance frequency of 290 Hz. It can be further improved by reducing the parasitic capacitance, which can be achieved by silicon etching, but a considerable mass is lost. In [2], it is shown that 19% of mass reduction improves power density from 12.95 $\mu$W/cm3 to 59 $\mu$W/cm3. Hence an enhancement in fabrication process is proposed, which is termed as Backside DRIE. It helps in increasing power density without loosing an important quantity of mass. Simulations have shown that 2.5% of mass removal improves power density up to 76.71 $\mu$W/cm3. Initial simulation results and problems of associated electronics are also discussed.