  The mechanical behavior of magnetoelectric transducers consisting of
piezoelectric-magnetostrictive bilayers has been modeled. The effect of the
aspect ratio of the transducer as well as the influence of non-active
surrounding layers has been modeled, including a passivation layer surrounding
the active device, a clamping layer above the active device, and an interfacial
layer that might be inserted between the magnetostrictive and the piezoelectric
layers. Strategies to control and maximize the strain magnitude and orientation
based on material selection and device design are proposed.
