Abstract
A micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) vertical levitation comb drive actuator has been created for the measurement of piezoelectric coefficients in thin/thick films or piezoelectrically active micro-scale components of other MEMS devices. The device exerts a dynamic force of 33 μN at an applied voltage of 100 V. The charge developed on the piezoelectric test device is measured using a charge sensitive pre-amplifier and lock-in technique, enabling measurements down to 1×10-5 pC. The system was tested with ten different piezoelectric samples with coefficients in the range 70-1375 pC N -1 and showed a good correlation (r = 0.9997) to measurements performed with macroscopic applied stresses, and piezoelectric impedance resonance techniques. The measurement of the direct piezoelectric effect in micro- and nano-scale piezo-materials has been made possible using MEMS processing technology. This new application of a MEMS metrology device has been developed and fully characterized in order to accurately evaluate the functional properties of piezoelectric materials at the scale required in micro- to nano-scale applications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 035028 |
Journal | Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |