Multi Kilovolt Lithium Niobate Pyroelectric Cantilever Switched Power Supply

High voltage actuators used in micro-robotics can require several kilovolts for sufficient displacements. A high voltage electronics driving system is required for functional robotics so that it can be integrated within the microrobot with minimal impacts on robot size and weight. Here we report a proof-of-concept Pyroelectric High Voltage Generator (PHVG) combined with a cantilever electrostatic switch used in pull-in mode, which demonstrated actuations of a piezoelectric actuator. The use of an electrostatic switch with pyroelectric LiNbO
₃
generator provides a pathway to generate high voltages from very small battery voltages and the capability to turn them on with small size and weight. We have demonstrated output voltages up to 1900V from PHVG in the ambient with a 15V input voltage at a temperature change of 2-3°C. The high-voltage generated is measured using the pull-in voltage of the cantilever switch. Scaling of the structure can lead to the development of low-SWAP high-voltage sources in the 10-20 kV range.