Piezoelectric micro-jets are based on piezoelectric ink-jet technology and can achieve the drop-on demand requirements. A piezoelectric micro-jet which is designed for bearing lubrication is presented in this paper. In order to analyze the fluid dynamic characteristics of the piezoelectric micro-jet so as to obtain good injection performance, a direct coupling simulation method is proposed in t...

The emergence and evolution of energy micro-generators during the last 2 decades has delivered a wealth harvesting powering solutions, with capability exploiting wide range motion types, from impulse low frequency irregular human motion, to broadband vibrations ultrasonic waves. It also created background engineering microsytems, including fabrication methods, system concepts optimal functional...

We proposed a piezoelectric artificial basilar membrane (ABM) composed of a microelectromechanical system cantilever array. The ABM mimics the tonotopy of the cochlea: frequency selectivity and mechanoelectric transduction. The fabricated ABM exhibits a clear tonotopy in an audible frequency range (2.92-12.6 kHz). Also, an animal model was used to verify the characteristics of the ABM as a fron...

The design and fabrication of a piezoelectric micro actuator on a silicon diaphragm is presented for application of micro ink jet. We developed the micro devices for the fluid transference that are fabricated using thick film technologies for ceramic materials and Si micro-machining. The performance of drop ejection was shown from the optimal design parameters. It is closely related to the prec...

In this research, a functionally graded microbeam bonded with piezoelectric layers is analyzed under electric force. Static and dynamic instability due to the electric actuation is studied because of its importance in micro electro mechanical systems, especially in micro switches. In order to prevent pull-in instability, two piezoelectric layers are used as sensor and actuator. A current amplif...

This study demonstrates a method for harvesting the electrical power by the piezoelectric actuator from vibration energy. This paper presents the energy harvesting technique using the piezoelectric element of a bimorph type driven by a geared motor and a vibrator. The geared motor is a type of PWM controlled device that is a combination of an oval shape cam with five gears and a speed controlle...

Fabrication of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) requires deposition of films such as SiO2, Si3N4, ZnO, polysilicon, phosphosilicate glass (PSG), Al, Cr-Au, Pt, etc. for use as structural, sacrificial, piezoelectric and conducting material. Deposition of these materials at low temperature is desirable for fabricating sensors/actuators on temperature-sensitive substrates and also for integ...

A microsized slit-embedded cantilever sensor (slit cantilever) was fabricated and evaluated as a biosensing platform in a liquid environment. In order to minimize the degradation caused by viscous damping, a 300 × 100 µm² (length × width) sized cantilever was released by a 5 µm gap-surrounding and vibrated by an internal piezoelectric-driven self-actuator. Owing to the structure, when the singl...

Nanoscale mechanical resonators are highly sensitive devices and, therefore, for application as highly sensitive mass balances, they are potentially superior to micromachined cantilevers. The absolute measurement of nanoscale displacements of such resonators remains a challenge, however, since the optical signal reflected from a cantilever whose dimensions are sub-wavelength is at best very wea...

We report an external force triggered field-effect transistor based on a free-standing piezoelectric fine wire (PFW). The device consists of an Ag source electrode and an Au drain electrode at two ends of a ZnO PFW, which were separated by an insulating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) thin layer. The working principle of the sensor is proposed based on the piezoelectric potential gating effect. Onc...