Correlation between electric-field-induced phase transition and piezoelectricity in lead zirconate titanate films

We observed that electric field induces phase transition from tetragonal to rhombohedral in polycrystalline morphotropic lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films, as reported in 2011 for bulk PZT. Moreover, we evidenced that this field-induced phase transition is strongly correlated with PZT film piezoelectric properties, that is to say the larger the phase transition, the larger the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient d 33,eff . Although d 33,eff is already comprised between as 150 to 170 pm/V, our observation suggests that one could obtain larger d 33,eff values, namely 250 pm/V, by optimizing the field-induced phase transition thanks to composition fine tuning

Electrode size dependence of piezoelectric response of lead zirconate titanate thin films measured by double beam laser interferometry

The electrode size dependence of the effective large signal piezoelectric response coefficient (d(33,f)) of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films is investigated by using double beam laser interferometer measurements and finite element modeling. The experimentally observed electrode size dependence is shown to arise from a contribution from the substrate. The intrinsic PZT contribution to d(33,f) is independent of electrode size and is equal to the theoretical value derived assuming a rigid substrate. The substrate contribution is strongly dependent on the relative size of the electrode with respect to the substrate thickness. For electrode sizes larger than the substrate thickness, the substrate contribution is positive and for electrode sizes smaller than the substrate thickness, the substrate contribution is negative. In the case of silicon substrates, if the electrode size is equal to the substrate thickness, the substrate contribution vanishes, and the measured value of d(33,f) is equal to the theoretical value under the rigid substrate assumption. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by AIP Publishing LLC and can be found at: http://www.aip.org/. Copyright Statement Basic Permissions Limited license IS GRANTED to individuals accessing this document and its component documents and/or files for the following personal, noncommercial uses: 1. Retrieving or printing a copy of any document or file mounted on this server 2. Establishing a link or links to any document or file mounted on this server Individuals accessing this document and its component documents and/or files are NOT GRANTED license to: 1. Alter a copy of any retrieved or printed document or file from this server 2. Distribute a copy (electronic or otherwise) of any document or file from this server without permission from the American Institute of Physics (direct requests to [email protected] 3. Charge for a copy (electronic or otherwise) of any document or file from this server. This server and its contents, unless otherwise indicated, are the property of the American Institute of Physics

Surface mapping of field-induced piezoelectric strain at elevated temperature employing full-field interferometry

Piezoelectric actuators and sensors are widely used for flow control valves, including diesel injectors, ultrasound generation, optical positioning, printing, pumps, and locks. Degradation and failure of material and electrical properties at high temperature typically limits these applications to operating temperatures below 200°C, based on the ubiquitous Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramic. There are, however, many applications in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy and process control, and oil and gas, where the ability to operate at higher temperatures would open up new markets for piezoelectric actuation. Presented here is a review of recent progress and initial results toward a European effort to develop measurement techniques to characterize high-temperature materials. Full-field, multi-wavelength absolute length interferometry has, for the first time, been used to map the electric-field-induced piezoelectric strain across the surface of a PZT ceramic. The recorded variation as a function of temperature has been evaluated against a newly developed commercial single-beam system. Conventional interferometry allows measurement of the converse piezoelectric effect with high precision and resolution, but is often limited to a single point, average measurement and to limited sample environments because of optical aberrations in varying atmospheres. Here, the full-field technique allows the entire surface to be analyzed for strain and, in a bespoke sample chamber, for elevated temperatures

High temperature measurement and characterisation of piezoelectric properties

Currently available high performance piezoelectric materials, predominantly based on lead zirconate titanate (PZT), are typically limited to operating temperatures of around 200 °C or below. There are many applications in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, power generation and process control, oil and gas, where reliable operation at higher temperatures is required for sensors, actuators and transducers. New materials are being actively developed to meet this need. Development and application of new and existing materials requires reliable measurement of their properties under these challenging conditions. This paper reviews the current state of the art in measurement of piezoelectric properties at high temperature, including direct and converse piezoelectric measurements and resonance techniques applied to high temperature measurements. New results are also presented on measurement of piezoelectric and thermal expansion and the effects of sample distortion on piezoelectric measurements. An investigation of the applicability of resonance measurements at high temperature is presented, and comparisons are drawn between the results of the different measurement techniques. New results on piezoelectric resonance measurements on novel high temperature piezoelectric materials, and conventional PZT materials, at temperatures up to 600 °C are presented