Piezoelectric materials are used in buzzers and speakers to convert electric energy to mechanical/acoustical energy. The electromechanical conversion can be reversed by applying a mechanical force to the piezoelectric material, so that we can generate an electric voltage that can be stored, converted and used to supply a low power wireless circuit. Applications for such devices might be battery- and wire-less doorbells, light switches or remote sensors.
The candidate will need to study the fundamentals of piezoelectric energy conversion, and how to convert, store and utilize small amounts of energy. The candidate will design the interface between the transducer and a low power RF device and study suitable low leakage storage devices. Further on the candidate will need to perform tests in order to verify the concept of piezoelectric energy harvesting. He also will investigate changes to the RF device in order to minimize the number and cost of off-chip components.