Modeling, fabrication and performance measurements of a piezoelectric energy converter for power harvesting in autonomous microsystems

This paper deals with the energy conversion via the piezoelectric effect. A mechanoelectrical energy converter based on piezoelectric thick films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) deposited on a steel cantilever by a low-temperature process is presented. Modeling and measurement results on the performances of the piezoelectric converter are reported, and its potential use in self-powered autonomous sensor devices is proposed.