Design and implementation of a versatile and variable-frequency piezoelectric coefficient measurement system

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Piezoelectric materials are crucial for sensors and actuators.
• Accurate measurement of piezoelectric coefficients is essential for material characterization and device design.
• Existing measurement techniques can be complex or limited in scope.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, versatile system for measuring piezoelectric coefficients.
• To enable measurement of both longitudinal and transverse coefficients.
• To demonstrate the system's functionality across various piezoelectric materials and configurations.

Main Methods:

• A novel piezoelectric coefficient measurement system was designed and implemented.
• The system measures longitudinal coefficients in pressing mode and transverse coefficients in bending mode.
• Measurements were performed under varying applied forces and a wide frequency range.

Main Results:

• The system successfully measured piezoelectric coefficients for lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic bulk, ZnO thin film, and a laminated piezoelectric film sensor.
• Static longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients were found to be approximately 210 pC/N for PZT and 8.1 pC/N for ZnO.
• Static transverse piezoelectric coefficients were determined as -0.284 C/m² for ZnO and -0.031 C/m² for the piezoelectric film sensor.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers a versatile and effective method for characterizing piezoelectric coefficients.
• The demonstrated measurements provide valuable data for PZT, ZnO, and laminated piezoelectric materials.
• This tool facilitates advancements in piezoelectric material research and sensor development.