Lead-free KNLNT piezoelectric ceramics for high-frequency ultrasonic transducer application

This paper presents the latest development of a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic and its application to transducers suitable for high-frequency ultrasonic imaging. A lead-free piezoelectric ceramic with formula of (K(0.5)Na(0.5))(0.97)Li(0.03)(Nb(0.9) Ta(0.1))O(3) (abbreviated as KNLNT-0.03/0.10) was fabricated and characterized. The material was found to have a clamped dielectric constant epsilon(33)(S)/epsilon(0)=890, piezoelectric coefficient d(33)=245 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor k(t)=0.42 and Curie temperature T(c)>300 degrees C. High-frequency (40 MHz) ultrasound transducers were successfully fabricated with the lead-free material. A representative lead-free transducer had a bandwidth of 45%, two-way insertion loss of -18 dB. This performance is comparable to reported performances of popular lead-based transducers. The comparison results suggest that the lead-free piezoelectric material may serve as an alternative to lead-based piezoelectric materials for high-frequency ultrasonic transducer applications.