Title :
Hybrid MEMS inductor for miniaturized autonomous power converter
Author :
Saidani, Menouer ; Meyer, Andreas ; Gijs, Martin A M
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Microelectron. & Microsystems, Swiss Fed. Inst. of Technol., Lausanne, Switzerland
Abstract :
We propose a hybrid technology to realize three-dimensional (3D) MEMS power inductors for use in a new type of miniaturized power converter. The inductors are composed of high-resolution coils made in a Cu/polyimide technology and miniature ferrite cores made by a powder blasting micro-erosion process. The converter transforms voltages as low as 0.4 V, originating from a single solar cell, to an output voltage in the range of 1-20 V and is located inside a tetrahedral-shaped parallel assembly of solar cells. Thereby, solar energy is transformed into exploitable electrical power for use in industrial or space applications, where ubiquitous and autonomous electrical energy is required.
Keywords :
micromechanical devices; power convertors; power inductors; solar cells; 0.4 V; 1 to 20 V; Cu; Cu/polyimide technology; Fe2O3; hybrid MEMS inductor; hybrid technology; miniature ferrite cores; miniaturized autonomous power converter; powder blasting micro-erosion process; solar cells; Assembly; Coils; Ferrites; Inductors; Low voltage; Micromechanical devices; Photovoltaic cells; Polyimides; Powders; Solar energy;
Conference_Titel :
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 2003. MEMS-03 Kyoto. IEEE The Sixteenth Annual International Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7744-3
DOI :
10.1109/MEMSYS.2003.1189817
