Analysis of MEMS electrostatic energy harvesters electrically configured as voltage multipliers

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of an efficient alternative interface circuit for MEMS electrostatic energy harvesters. It is entirely composed of diodes and capacitors. Based on modeling and simulation, an anti-phase gap-closing structure is investigated. We find that when configured as a voltage multiplier, it can operate at very low acceleration amplitudes. In addition, the allowed maximum voltage between electrodes is barely limited by the pull-in effect. The parasitic capacitance of the harvester and non-ideal characteristics of electronic components are taken into account. A lumped-model of the harvesting system has been implemented in a circuit simulator. Simulation results show that an output voltage of 22 V is obtained with 0.15 g input acceleration. The minimum necessary ratio between the maximum and minimum capacitances of the generators, which allows operation of the circuit, can be lower than 2. This overcomes a crucial obstacle in low-power energy harvesting devices. A comparison between the voltage multiplier against other current topologies is highlighted. An advantage of the former over the latter is to generate much higher saturation voltage, while the minimum required initial bias and the minimum capacitance ratio in both cases are at similar levels.