Planar magnetoelectric voltage transformer based on a composite ferromagnet-piezoelectric heterostructure

[Display omitted] •Planar magnetoelectric voltage transformer fabricated and investigated.•Transformer uses coilless excitation system instead of volumetric magnetic coils.•The voltage transformation ratio is magnetically tuned from zero to 13.2. A planar magnetoelectric voltage transformer based on a layered composite structure containing layers of amorphous ferromagnet and piezoelectric lead zirconate-titanate has been fabricated and investigated. The transformer uses a coilless system (the so-called "magnetic capacitor") to excite the direct magnetoelectric effect at the frequency of the acoustic resonance of the structure, which made it possible to significantly simplify the design. The voltage transformation ratio of the magnetoelectric transformer, in contrast to the known electromagnetic or piezoelectric transformers, can be tuned by an external magnetic field from zero to 13.2 with an increase in the field from zero to 30 Oe. The operating range of the output voltage of the transformer is 0−400 mV, and the output power reaches 9 μW at optimal load resistance. The technique for calculating the characteristics of the transformer is described.