Design of MEMS Piezoelectric Vector Hydrophone

Abstract

This paper presents a novel micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) piezoelectric vector hydrophone based on ZnO thin film. The approximate theory analysis is introduced in sensitivity and resonant frequency, and a simulation on the vector hydrophone is carried out by finite element method (FEM). Results of the theory analysis and FEM simulation agree well. The results show that the ratio of the piezoelectric layer thickness and Si layer thickness exists an optimum value for sensitivity, and MEMS piezoelectric vector hydrophones in smaller size have higher sensitivity than piezoresistive ones and are of passivity.