Opportunities, Progress, and Challenges in Piezoelectric-Based Power Electronics

Abstract

This paper describes emerging approaches in the design of power electronics aiming to address the twin challenges of miniaturization and efficiency through the use of piezoelectric-based energy storage elements. Piezoelectric components, including piezoelectric resonators and transformers, store energy in mechanical inertia and compliance, with energy storage densities that are orders of magnitude higher than those achievable with magnetics at small scales. Piezoelectrics can potentially enable radical improvements in the achievable size and efficiency of power converters for some applications, but advances in circuits, controls, passive component design, and packaging are required to fully realize these benefits. We present an overview of the opportunities, recent progress, and present challenges in piezoelectric-based power electronics, and provide supporting examples that illustrate their promise.