Piezoelectric MEMS Acoustic Emission Sensor Module with a Built-in Preamplifier

This study reports AlN-based piezoelectric MEMS acoustic emission (AE) sensor modules with a built-in preamplifier. Peak sensitivity of the fabricated MEMS AE sensor modules ranges from 600 to 1600 V/m/s. Standard pencil-lead break tests are conducted to verify the AE detection capability. The results show that the fabricated MEMS AE sensor module with a peak sensitivity of 1640 V/m/s has a comparable AE detection capability to that of a commercial bulk piezoelectric AE sensor (Physical Acoustic R3a, MISTRAS Group, Inc.).