Nonlinear Multi-Field Coupling Modeling of Multilayer-Stacked Piezoelectric Semiconductor Structures

Multilayer-stacked piezoelectric semiconductor (MSPS) structures hold great promise as building blocks for advanced multi-functional semiconductor devices, particularly in the field of flexible electronic devices. Existing theoretical models often consider either geometrical or physical nonlinearity individually, while practical engineering applications frequently involve both. This study presents a two-dimensional (2-D) thermo-deformation-polarization-carrier (TDPC) coupling plate model for MSPS structures, incorporating both geometrical and physical nonlinearities, which is a general model that is applicable for analyzing the nonlinear multi-field coupling mechanical behavior of various complex layered structures. The derived plate model includes two parts: the zeroth-order equations that describe in-plane extensional deformations and the first-order equations that address out-of-plane flexural deformations. Validation against three-dimensional (3-D) finite element results conforms the accuracy of the proposed TDPC coupling plate model. Using this model, we examine the multi-field coupling mechanical responses of an n-type sandwich-like MSPS (S-MSPS) plate under various loading conditions, including individual mechanical or thermal loads and combined mechanical-thermal loads. The numerical results reveal the tuning effect of different loads on the multi-field coupling behaviors of S-MSPS structures. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the development of MSPS-based devices in the future.