Piezoelectric thin films and their applications in MEMS: A review

With the increasing demand for devices in miniaturization, accuracy, and low power consumption, developing microdevices in the form of piezoelectric thin films is significant for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. Piezoelectric thin films offer advantages of miniaturization and low power consumption, holding immense potential in MEMS, especially with advancements in micro-nanomanufacturing technologies. In this review, we highlighted the compelling piezoelectric properties and summarized the latest research progress of thin films, with an emphasis on recent advances in piezoelectric MEMS. We mainly introduced the recent developments on different types of piezoelectric MEMS (piezo-MEMS), along with the descriptions of piezoelectric effects, film preparation, film properties, and device indicators. We have emphasized the comparison of MEMS with different piezoelectric materials and methods for improving devices. The recent achievements of piezoelectric thin films in MEMS applications and the future development of MEMS applications are also reviewed. (c) 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).