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MEMS

3D piezoelectric microsystems pop up

Nature Electronics volume 2, pages 15–16 (2019)Cite this article

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The compressive buckling of lithographically defined, two-dimensional patterns can create three-dimensional piezoelectric microsystems with a range of potential applications.

Piezoelectric transduction has been used to build devices for energy harvesting, sensing and actuation, with applications in areas such as the automotive industry1 and biomedicine2,3. Recently, there has been growing interest in piezoelectric devices for self-powered and wearable systems that can detect or harvest broadband, low-frequency mechanical stimuli including ambient vibrations or human motion4,5,6,7. Piezoelectric microsystems are typically fabricated using thin film processes, yielding devices with 2D configurations. Yet, such planar devices are typically tailored toward narrow-band, high-frequency applications or limited degrees of freedom in a 2D design space. Transforming conventional 2D structures into 3D could allow access to a greater diversity of operating modes. Writing in Nature Electronics, Yihui Zhang, Yonggang Huang, John Rogers and colleagues8 demonstrate the fabrication of 3D piezoelectric microsystems via the compressive buckling of lithographically defined 2D patterns. The 3D piezoelectric microsystems offer new functionalities and improved device performance compared with their 2D counterparts8.

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Fig. 1: 3D piezoelectric microsystems and their potential applications.

adapted from ref. 8, Springer Nature Ltd

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Ghazaleh Haghiashtiani & Michael C. McAlpine

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  1. Ghazaleh Haghiashtiani
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  2. Michael C. McAlpine
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Correspondence to Michael C. McAlpine.

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Haghiashtiani, G., McAlpine, M.C. 3D piezoelectric microsystems pop up. Nat Electron 2, 15–16 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-018-0196-8

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