Processing and characteristics of piezoelectric microcantilevers without substrate

Based on a 4 μm thick PZT films with (100) orientation, piezoelectric microcantilevers without a substrate support (free-stand) were fabricated with a typical micromachining process. These microcantilevers have low natural frequency which is suitable for the application on vibration energy harvesting. Simultaneously, their large linear displacement induced by voltage indicates they are also good microactuators, and the calculated piezoelectric coefficient d
₃₁
is one of third of that of bulky PZT ceramics.