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Formerly Etalon - Piezo Technologies
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Piezo Tech is ISO 9001:2000 Certified. Certification No. C2006-02533.
1-3 PZT / Polymer Ceramic Composites
PZT/Polymer Piezoelectric Ceramic Composites for Nondestructive Testing, Medical Transducers, and Research
In the first quarter of 2001, Piezo Technologies began manufacturing PZT/Polymer Composites for nondestructive testing, medical transducers and research in our new world-class Materials Development Lab. Our highly experienced and dedicated Materials Engineering staff manufactures these piezoelectric ceramic composites in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and they can be custom-engineered to meet your specific needs. The ceramic composite can be filled with a variety of polymer materials, and fillers can be added as a design option.
Since 1968, Piezo Technologies has pioneered many advances in the piezoelectric industry, and that tradition of innovation continues today. PZT / Polymer Composites offer:
- Greater design flexibility
- Easy adaptation for a variety of applications
- Elimination of lateral coupling
| PZT / POLYMER COMPOSITES GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS | ||
| Note: The above values are nominal. | ||
|
Center Frequency Range |
100 kHz to 10 MHz | |
|
Acoustic Impedance Range |
8 MRayL to 20 MRayL | |
| Thickness Coupling Factor Range | 0.50 to 0.70 | |
| Mechanical Quality Factor | QM < 100 | |
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Advantages of Composites
Piezoelectric composite materials offer several advantages over bulk piezoelectric ceramics:
- Lower acoustic impedance, which can be tailored easily, and provides broadband coupling
- Higher electromechanical coupling factors in the 33 mode
- Low to non-measurable lateral modes
- Acoustic impedance (ZA), coupling factors (kij), mechanical quality factor (QM), and dielectric constant (K3) that can be tailored by volume fraction of ceramic, and the choice of ceramic and polymer phases
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Composites versus Ceramics
The two tables below compare the Physical Properties of composite variations made from the K350 piezoelectric ceramic. Underneath each table is a link to view a comparison table for the Electromechanical Properties of that example.
| EXAMPLE #1 | PHYSICAL PROPERTIES COMPARISON: K350 Ceramic Compared to 275 kHz Composites (three composite variations using the K350 ceramic) | ||||
| Note: The above values are nominal. | |||||
| Vol. % Ceramic | r | Diameter | Thickness | Acoustic Impedance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | (%) | (g/cm3) | (in) | (in) | (MRayL) |
| K350 Ceramic | 100 | 7.80 | 0.998 | 0.250 | 31 |
| 275 kHz A | 40 | 3.72 | 0.998 | 0.200 | 10.5 |
| 275 kHz B | 40 | 3.78 | 0.998 | 0.200 | 10.6 |
| 275 kHz C | 40 | 3.84 | 0.998 | 0.200 | 10.7 |
EXAMPLE #1 – Electromechanical Properties Comparison
| EXAMPLE #2 | PHYSICAL PROPERTIES COMPARISON: K350 Ceramic Compared to 2.0 MHz Composites (three composite variations using the K350 ceramic) | ||||
| Note: The above values are nominal. | |||||
| Vol. % Ceramic | r | Diameter | Thickness | Acoustic Impedance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | (%) | (g/cm3) | (in) | (in) | (MRayL) |
| K350 Ceramic | 100 | 7.80 | 1.00 | 0.061 | 30.9 |
| 2.00 MHz A | 50 | 4.55 | 1.00 | 0.028 | 13.0 |
| 2.00 MHz B | 50 | 4.40 | 1.00 | 0.028 | 12.0 |
EXAMPLE #2 – Electromechanical Properties Comparison
Current Capabilities
- Typical Electrodes are sputtered chromium adhesion layer then sputtered gold electrode
- Solderable with low power soldering iron
- Total electrode thickness 2500-3000 Å
- Standard tolerances are ± 0.002" for length, width, or diameter and ± 0.001" for thickness
- Current lead times are 8 weeks ARO
| TYPICAL FREQUENCIES | ||
| Note: The above values are nominal. | ||
| 250 kHz | ||
| 1 MHz | ||
| 1 MHz | ||
| 2 MHz | ||
| 2.25 MHz | ||
| 3.5 MHz | ||
| 4 MHz | ||
| 5 MHz | ||
| 7.5 MHz | ||
| 10 MHz | ||
| CURRENT CAPABILITIES | ||
| Note: The above values are nominal. | ||
| Maximum Macro Dimensions | Minimum Micro Dimensions | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 " or 25.4 mm |
Kerf = 12 mm | Post Width = 50 mm |
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