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WO-2026096522-A1 - ENHANCING POWER OUTPUT OF MAGNETOELECTRIC FILMS IN MINIATURE DEVICE ENCLOSURES

WO2026096522A1WO 2026096522 A1WO2026096522 A1WO 2026096522A1WO-2026096522-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to improving power output of magnetoelectric (ME) films by fine-tuning different parameters of the films. These parameters may include e.g., resonance frequency, magnetic flux collection, interface adhesion, strain enhancement and coupling coefficient that may be fine-tuned through geometric modifications such as by adjusting thickness or layering, surface area or dimensions such as height and width aspect ratio, and patterning. Other configurations of ME film design may also include incorporating additional elements such as a flux-steering element for capturing more flux, additional coils or adding a bias magnet as a strain enhancer. ME films may offer miniaturization for integration into small-scale devices due to their sensitivity to electric and magnetic field, compact size, and low power consumption.

Inventors

  • SINGER, Amanda
  • HU, JIA
  • COMMISSARIS, Elizabeth
  • GOETZ, STEVEN
  • MINTCH, Landan

Assignees

  • Motif Neurotech, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251028
Priority Date
20241030

Claims (18)

  1. 1. A magnetoelectric film comprising: at least one layer of magnetostrictive material configured to be magnetized inducing a mechanical strain when an external magnetic field that is generated by a transmitter coil, is applied; at least one layer of piezoelectric material on the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material configured to generate an electrical signal in response to the mechanical strain from the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material; and a flux-steering element of a trapezoidal shape having a first edge that is of a larger crosssection relative to an opposite second parallel edge, wherein the flux-steering element is coupled to the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material along a longitudinal axis such that the opposite second parallel edge is positioned towards the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material.
  2. 2. The magnetoelectric film of claim 1, wherein the flux-steering element is configured such that the external magnetic field is applied towards the first edge of the flux-steering element with larger cross-section to enhance flux collection.
  3. 3. The magnetoelectric film of claim 1, wherein the flux-steering element comprises magnetic material.
  4. 4. The magnetoelectric film of claim 1, wherein the flux-steering element comprises magnetostrictive material.
  5. 5. The magnetoelectric film of claim 1, wherein the flux-steering element is curved from both non-parallel sides.
  6. 6. The magnetoelectric film of claim 1, further comprising: 58MN18-US an electrical arrangement attached to the at least one layer of piezoelectric material configured to collect the electrical signal generated by the at least one layer of piezoelectric material.
  7. 7. A magnetoelectric film comprising: at least one layer of magnetostrictive material with a thickness configured to be magnetized inducing a mechanical strain when an external magnetic field that is generated by a transmitter coil, is applied; and at least one layer of piezoelectric material on the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material configured to generate an electrical signal in response to the mechanical strain from the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material.
  8. 8. The magnetoelectric film of claim 7, wherein the at least one layer of the magnetostrictive material further including: one or more hollow shapes configured to adjust a resonance frequency of the ME film.
  9. 9. The magnetoelectric film of claim 7, wherein the at least one layer of the piezoelectric material further including: one or more hollow shapes configured to alter a resonance frequency of the magnetoelectric film.
  10. 10. The magnetoelectric film of claim 7, wherein the thickness of the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material is greater at both sides along a longitudinal axis of the ME film as compared to a center of the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material, wherein the thickness decreases at regular intervals towards the center along the longitudinal axis of the at least one layer of the magnetostrictive material.
  11. 11. The magnetoelectric film of claim 7, wherein the thickness of the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material is smaller at both sides along a longitudinal axis of the ME film as compared to a center of the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material, wherein the thickness 58MN18-US increases at specified intervals towards the center along the longitudinal axis of the at least one layer of the magnetostrictive material.
  12. 12. The magnetoelectric film of claim 7, further comprising: a bias magnet attached to one end of the magnetoelectric film along a longitudinal axis, wherein the bias magnet is configured to enhance the mechanical strain induced in the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material.
  13. 13. The magnetoelectric film of claim 7, further comprising: an electrical arrangement attached to the at least one layer of piezoelectric material configured to collect the electrical signal generated by the at least one layer of piezoelectric material.
  14. 14. An apparatus of a magnetoelectric film comprising: an enclosure; a plurality of magnetoelectric (ME) minifilms arranged along an inner perimeter of the enclosure with a spacing in between adjacent ME minifilms of the plurality of ME minifilms, positioned such that a plane of the ME minifilms is parallel to a plane of the enclosure, and wherein the ME minifilms are comprised of: at least one layer of magnetostrictive material with a thickness configured to be magnetized inducing a mechanical strain when an external magnetic field that is generated by a transmitter coil, is applied; and at least one layer of piezoelectric material on the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material configured to generate an electrical signal in response to the mechanical strain from the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material.
  15. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the spacing between each adjacent ME minifilms of the plurality of ME minifilms is of an order of a length of the ME minifilm.
  16. 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one layer of piezoelectric material and the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material of each ME minifilm of the plurality of ME minifilms are rectangular in shape. 58MN18-US
  17. 17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: an electrical arrangement attached to the at least one layer of piezoelectric material of each ME minifilm of the plurality of ME minifilms configured to collect the electrical signal generated by the at least one layer of piezoelectric material.
  18. 18. An apparatus comprising: an enclosure having a lid to cover one end of the enclosure along a longitudinal axis; a magnetoelectric film that is embedded in the lid along surface of the lid such that the magnetoelectric film is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the enclosure, wherein the magnetoelectric film comprises: at least one layer of magnetostrictive material configured to be magnetized inducing a mechanical strain when an external magnetic field, is applied; and at least one layer of piezoelectric material on the at least one layer of magnetostrictive element configured to generate an electrical signal in response to the mechanical strain from the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material; and a plurality of coils positioned above the enclosure, configured to generate the external magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to an orientation of the ME film.

Description

58MN18-US ENHANCING POWER OUTPUT OF MAGNETOELECTRIC FILMS IN MINIATURE DEVICE ENCLOSURES CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/713,991, filed on October 30, 2024, titled “ENHANCING POWER OUTPUT OF MAGNETOELECTRIC FILMS IN MINIATURE DEVICE ENCLOSURES”. The entire disclosure of the aforementioned application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. BACKGROUND [0002] Magnetoelectric materials are characterized by the ability to convert magnetic energy into electrical energy and vice versa, making these suitable for various technological applications including medical devices, wireless power transfer, Internet of Things (loT), aerospace applications, environmental sensors and energy harvesting solutions. In recent years, there has been a focus on these materials, particularly magnetoelectric (ME) fdms for compact, efficient and miniature designs (e.g., of the order of 1 cm). ME films may be particularly useful in these miniature designs due to high sensitivity to magnetic and electric fields and ability to operate at micro and nano scales (e.g., sensing magnetic field as low as nanotesla (nT) and electric fields approximately around microvolts (pV)). The miniature design may be used across a spectrum of fields including microsensors, micro-actuators, components for micromechanical systems (MEMS). The potential of ME films for self-powering capabilities through energy harvesting can make it a promising solution for devices where compactness, efficiency and reliability may be a concern, for example, miniature medical implants that may be implanted inside or on a human body for targeted drug delivery, neural simulations, and biosensing. The ME films may be leveraged for these medical devices enabling minimal maintenance requirements e.g., wearable health monitors or implantable devices may harvest energy from the mechanical movements or external magnetic field thus reducing frequent replacement of battery. 58MN18-US [0003] However, the devices leveraging ME films particularly, miniature devices may face several challenges including power consumption when generating and manipulating magnetic fields that can in turn generate excessive heat, which can be problematic in miniature devices due to limited heat dissipation capabilities. Additionally, when mechanical, electrical or magnetic properties of different components within the ME film do not align or complement each other effectively, it can lead to inefficient energy transfer and suboptimal performance. For example, impedance mismatch may cause reflections and energy losses, magnetic mismatch may cause inefficient flux collection or reduced magnetization, or electromechanical mismatch may cause ME films to operate at suboptimal resonance frequency. Moreover, intrinsic losses in ME materials while converting electric to magnetic energy and vice versa can impact overall power requirements of the devices. Power efficiency in magnetoelectric films may be a concern across various applications as efficient energy conversion may enhance device performance and contribute to its sustainability and cost-effectiveness. SUMMARY [0004] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to techniques to enhance power output of the ME films by adjusting one or more parameters of the magnetoelectric (ME) films through geometric modifications. The ME films may be comprising at least one layer of magnetostrictive material configured to be magnetized inducing a mechanical strain when an external magnetic field that is generated by a transmitter coil, is applied. On the magnetostrictive layer, there may be at least one layer of piezoelectric material configured to generate an electrical signal in response to the mechanical strain from the at least one layer of magnetostrictive material. To increase magnetic flux collection, a flux-steering element may be coupled to at least one layer of magnetostrictive material along a longitudinal axis of the magnetostrictive layer. The flux-steering element may have a cross-sectional area at one end that is smaller than a cross- sectional area at another end (e.g., an opposite end). The flux-steering element may be coupled such that the one parallel side with the smaller cross-section is positioned towards the at least one magnetostrictive material. [0005] The ME film may further include an electrical arrangement attached to the at least one layer of piezoelectric material configured to collect the electrical signal generated by the at 58MN18-US least one layer of piezoelectric material. The flux-steering element may be curved from two nonparallel sides and configured such that the external magnetic field is applied towards the parallel side with larger cross-section to enhance flux collection. In some examples, the flux-steering element comprises a magnetic material, while in some other examples, the flux-steering element