High Mechanical Quality Factor Research Articles

Influence of spark plasma sintering temperature on piezoelectric properties of PZT-PMnN piezoelectric ceramics

Being capable of interconverting electrical and mechanical energy, piezoelectric materials are essential for electromechanical devices. In this study, high-performance 0.95Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3–0.05Pb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PZT-PMnN) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). We systematically investigated temperature-dependent electrical properties and phase structure of ceramics. The SPS temperature was found to be optimized at 950 °C. PZT-PMnN ceramic sintered at 950 °C possessed high piezoelectric performances, i.e. d33 of 411 pC/N and d33* of 556 pm/V. Furthermore, a high mechanical quality factor Qm (480) and low dielectric loss (0.19%) were obtained. Therefore, the spark-plasma-sintered PZT-PMnN ceramic is a promising candidate for applications.

Increase in the piezoelectric response of scandium-doped gallium nitride thin films sputtered using a metal interlayer for piezo MEMS

Wurtzite gallium nitride (GaN) has a polarity along the c-axis and piezoelectric properties the same as aluminum nitride. Since it has a high mechanical quality factor and high output sensitivity, it is expected to perform well in piezo micro-electro-mechanical system devices. This paper demonstrates that Hf and Mo interlayers enable the preparation of highly (001)-oriented GaN films via conventional sputtering at a low temperature (400 °C). The piezoelectric coefficient d33 of the prepared undoped GaN films is equivalent to that of a single-crystal GaN. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the piezoelectric response of GaN films increases significantly when they are doped with scandium (Sc). Although this enhancement was predicted theoretically, the piezoelectric response of Sc-doped GaN films prepared on Hf and Mo interlayers has shown great improvement. Moreover, bulk acoustic wave resonators constructed using Sc-doped GaN films show a piezoelectric coupling factor that is three times larger than that of a single-crystal GaN.

Characterization of microresonator-geometry-deformation for cavity optomechanics

We have studied the effect of geometry deformation on the mechanical frequencies and quality factors for different modes in the Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) microresonators, that is unavoidable in the practical fabrication. The subsidence of the sphere and a more general condition with fewer symmetries and complex deformation of eccentricity, subsidence, and offset are first modeled in this paper, which could tune the mechanical frequency in a much wider spectral range than the pillar-diameter-induced perturbation. we also show that the mechanical quality factors for the non-whispering-gallery mechanical mode could be increased in the order of 4 magnitudes at a specific subsidence, and form a mechanical bound state in the continuum (BIC) which is induced by the symmetry breaking and reveals new mechanisms to confine radiation. A much broader BIC window width with higher mechanical quality factor could be achieved, which is of great importance in both fundamental research and scientific applications.

Effects of Excess Barium on the Structure and Electrical Properties of (Ba,Ca)TiO3 Piezoelectric Ceramics with High Mechanical Quality Factors

Manganese-doped Ba0.925Ca0.075TiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (abbreviated as BCT) with high mechanical quality factor were synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction method. The effects of excess Ba on the crystal structure, microstructure, and electrical properties of the ceramics were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra revealed that Ca2+ ions were pushed from Ba sites to Ti sites of BCT when 1.5 mol% extra Ba2+ ions were added after sintering. The grain size of the ceramics was decreased by adding extra Ba2+ ions. The mechanical quality factor and resistivity of the ceramics decreased dramatically when the excess Ba was more than 1.5 mol%. High piezoelectric coefficients ( d33 = 150–190 pC/N ) and high mechanical quality factors ( Qm = 1 000–1 200 ) were obtained in the ceramics when the excess of Ba was between 0.5 mol% and 1 mol%. These results indicated that the properties of BCT ceramics could be tailored by adjusting the content of Ba.

Enhancement in mechanical quality factors of poly phenylene sulfide under high-amplitude ultrasonic vibration through thermal annealing

Our previous study shows that poly phenylene sulfide (PPS) provides relatively high mechanical quality factors (Q factors) at ultrasonic frequency compared to other commonly-used functional polymers, and has potential as the vibrating body of a functional ultrasonic transducer. Since PPS has semicrystalline frameworks, its Q factors may be enhanced through thermal annealing. Prior to examining this feasibility, we developed a method for estimating Q factors under high-amplitude longitudinal vibration. Q factor is originally defined as the ratio of the reactive energy to the dissipated energy, both of which are calculated from the vibration velocities on the outer surface of a cylindrical specimen. Using this method, we experimentally investigated how annealing temperatures and times affect Q factors of PPS. The results demonstrate that thermal annealing is an effective way to enhance Q factors of PPS at the heating temperatures of 100 °C and 150 °C, relatively high compared to the glass transition temperature of PPS (90–95 °C). The Q factors at several tens of kilohertz are almost doubled after annealing owing to the enhancements in degrees of crystallinity. As the annealing time increases, the Q factors initially become higher, and gradually approach their saturated values at a sufficiently long time. Besides, annealing temperatures affect the change rates in Q factors, but have no observable effect on the saturated Q factors.

Mn doped ternary relaxor single crystal with high shear piezoelectricity and improved stability

The complete set of elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric constants of [011]C poled rhombohedral 0.27Pb(In0.5Nb0.5)O3 − 0.46Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 − 0.27PbTiO3:Mn single crystal with "2 R" engineered domain structure have been measured. These special domain structure possesses high shear piezoelectric properties with d15 = 1642 pC/N and k15 = 0.862. Meanwhile, the crystal exhibits high phase transition temperature (TR-M = 126 °C) and relative high mechanical quality factors (Q33 = 870, Q15 = 220). This "2R" domain structure has a much easier poling procedure and improved stability against external field, which give the possibility for applications in shear mode transducers. Finally, the physical mechanism of high shear piezoelectricity was explored, which shows that both intrinsic (crystalline orientation) and extrinsic factors (domain structure) favors high shear piezoelectricity in "2R" domain structure.

Origin of Improvement in Mechanical Quality Factor in Acceptor-Doped Relaxor-Based Ferroelectric Single Crystals

Ferroelectric materials with high mechanical quality factors ${Q}_{m}$ are used in high-power electromechanical devices, but the physical mechanism of ${Q}_{m}$ enhancement is not well understood. This study uses Rayleigh analysis to quantitatively investigate the pinning effect in acceptor-doped relaxor ferroelectric crystals. Enhancement of the longitudinal factor ${Q}_{33}$ is attributed to restricted polarization rotation, while that of the shear factor ${Q}_{15}$ is ascribed to both polarization rotation and clamped domain-wall motion. This insight into the underlying physics will guide the material optimization of device performance in $e.g.$ transducers and sensors.

Electrode configuration and electrical dissipation of mechanical energy in quartz crystal resonators

Mechanical resonators made with monolithic piezoelectric quartz crystals are promising for studying new physical phenomena. High mechanical quality factors (Q) exhibited by the mm-sized quartz resonators make them ideal for studying weak couplings or long timescales in the quantum regime. However, energy losses through mechanical supports pose a serious limiting factor for obtaining high quality factors. Here we investigate how the Q of quartz resonators at deep cryogenic temperatures can be limited by several types of losses related to anchoring. We first introduce means to reduce the mechanical losses by more than an order of magnitude in a no-clamping scheme, obtaining Q-factors of 108 of the lowest shear mode. We can exclude a wide coverage of aluminum metalization on the disk or bond wires as sources of dissipation. However, we find a dramatic reduction of the Q-factor accompanying an electrode configuration that involves strong focusing of the vibrations in the disk center. We propose a circuit model that accounts for the reduced mechanical Q-factor in terms of electrical losses. In particular, we show how the limiting factor for losses can be small ohmic dissipation in a grounding connection, which can be interpreted as electrical anchor losses of the mechanical device.

Fabrication and Characterization of Single-Aperture 3.5-MHz BNT-Based Ultrasonic Transducer for Therapeutic Application.

This paper discusses the fabrication and characterization of 3.5-MHz single-element transducers for therapeutic applications in which the active elements are made of hard lead-free BNT-based and hard commercial PZT (PZT-841) piezoceramics. Composition of (BiNa0.88K0.08Li0.04)0.5(Ti0.985Mn0.015)O3 (BNKLT88-1.5Mn) was used to develop lead-free piezoelectric ceramic. Mn-doped samples exhibited high mechanical quality factor ( ) of 970, thickness coupling coefficient ( ) of 0.48, a dielectric constant ( ) of 310 (at 1 kHz), depolarization temperature ( ) of 200 °C, and coercive field ( ) of 52.5 kV/cm. Two different unfocused single-element transducers using BNKLT88-1.5Mn and PZT-841 with the same center frequency of 3.5 MHz and similar aperture size of 10.7 and 10.5 mm were fabricated. Pulse-echo response, acoustic frequency spectrum, acoustic pressure field, and acoustic intensity field of transducers were characterized. The BNT-based transducer shows linear response up to the peak-to-peak voltage of 105 V in which the maximum rarefactional acoustic pressure of 1.1 MPa, and acoustic intensity of 43 W/cm2 were achieved. Natural focal point of this transducer was at 60 mm from the surface of the transducer.

Optical performance of large-area crystalline coatings.

Given their excellent optical and mechanical properties, substrate-transferred crystalline coatings are an exciting alternative to amorphous multilayers for applications in precision interferometry. The high mechanical quality factor of these single-crystal interference coatings reduces the limiting thermal noise in precision optical instruments such as reference cavities for narrow-linewidth laser systems and interferometric gravitational wave detectors. In this manuscript, we explore the optical performance of GaAs/AlGaAs crystalline coatings transferred to 50.8-mm (2-inch) diameter fused silica and sapphire substrates. We present results for the transmission, scattering, absorption, and surface quality of these prototype samples including the defect density and micro-roughness. These novel coatings exhibit optical performance on par with state-of-the-art dielectric structures, encouraging further work focused on the fabrication of larger optics using this technique.

Magnetoelectric effect in stretch-shear mode self-biased LiNbO3 based composite with high-frequency resonant response

Magnetoelectric (ME) composites have received attention abidingly due to the promising potential applications in magnetic field sensor and energy harvester. In recent years, shear mode ME composite was frequently discussed with promising applications in high-frequency magnetic field with large signal-to-noise ratio. Single-crystal LiNbO3, as a lead-free piezoelectric phase with high mechanical quality factor and small dielectric constant, is suitable for achieving a large shear ME effect with large shear piezoelectric coefficient d15 or d24, and different piezoelectric coefficients can be obtained by crystal-cut transformation. The transformation rule of shear ME coefficient with transformation of LiNbO3 crystal orientation and the MHz high-frequency magnetic detection is still lacking. Furthermore, self-biased ME composite can be obtained with SrFe12O19 ribbon, which is useful for the integration and miniaturization of ME sensor. In the present work, we use a series of X-cut LiNbO3 to obtain different d15 or d16 in a stretch-shear ME composite. Piezoelectric coefficient d15 and ME coefficient E15 of Metglas/LiNbO3 composite are obtained in experiment, respectively. The results show that LiNbO3 xzt/30 has the largest d15 and E15, and the transformation rule of E15 is consistent with the coordinate transformation of d15. The structure of stretch-shear ME composite is optimized to improve the ME coefficient. Then the stretch-shear mode self-biased SrFe12O19/Metglas/LiNbO3 composite is fabricated, and shear ME response is observed under zero external direct current magnetic bias. Moreover, E15 at electromechanical resonance frequency is gained at shear-mode high frequency (0.991 MHz and 3.51 MHz). The largest ME coefficient E15 is acquired in the stretch-shear 5-foil Metglas/LiNbO3 (xzt/30) composite of 134.16 mV/(cmOe) at 1 kHz and 9.17 V/(cm Oe) at 3.51 MHz. This work is beneficial to the confirming of the corresponding rules of shear ME coefficient and LiNbO3 piezoelectric coefficient, showing that the composite possesses the potential applications in integration, miniaturization and high-frequency resonant sensor.

Fabrication and energy harvesting characteristics of unimorph piezoelectric cantilever generators with interdigitated electrode lead zirconate titanate laminates

Interdigitated electrode (IDE) unimorph piezoelectric cantilever generators (UPCGs) were fabricated and their energy harvesting characteristics were investigated. A hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) material with a high mechanical quality factor (Qm) of 1280 was used for the active piezoelectric film of the IDE UPCGs. Two different laminated IDE UPCGs were prepared; one has Ag/Pd interdigitated electrode (IDE) formed only on the top and bottom PZT sheets (D-IDE), while the other has Ag/Pd IDE on all of the PZT sheets (M-IDE). Cofiring was conducted at 1050 °C for 2 h for PZT laminates with IDEs. The fabricated IDE UPCGs exhibited power densities of 50.4 µW/cm3 for the D-IDE and 820 µW/cm3 for the M-IDE. The UPCG with the M-IDE exhibited a higher performance than that with the D-IDE. Specifically, a significantly enhanced normalized power factor of 670 µW/(g2·cm3) was found at 118 Hz across 100 kΩ.

High Damping of Lightweight TiNi-Ti2Ni Shape Memory Composites for Wide Temperature Range Usage

A bimodal porous TiNi-Ti2Ni shape memory alloy composite (SMAC) with 59% porosity was fabricated by sintering Ti-46at.%Ni elemental powders with pore-forming agent. The porous TiNi-Ti2Ni SMAC contains two irregular pores of about 400 and 120 μm. We investigated the microstructure and pore morphology correlated with the mechanical properties and damping capacities of the SMAC. Ti2Ni intermetallic phases with size of 1-3 μm were homogeneously distributed in the TiNi matrix. The porous TiNi-Ti2Ni SMAC exhibits exceptionally high inverse mechanical quality factor (Q −1) of ~0.25 at < 40 °C, which is among the highest value reported for porous/dense shape memory alloys or composites to best of our knowledge, and it shows very high compressive fracture strain of about 25%. Moreover, the fabricated porous SMAC at relatively low strain amplitude can exhibit considerable high Q −1 of 0.06 ~ 0.11 for a wide range of temperature between − 90 and 200 °C, which is attributed to the stress concentration distribution provided by the bimodal structure of pores and the massive interfaces between pore/matrix and TiNi/Ti2Ni. These porous SMACs can be an ideal candidate for using as a lightweight damping material in the energy-saving applications.

Highly efficient solid state magnetoelectric gyrators

An enhancement in the power-conversion-efficiency (η) of a magneto-electric (ME) gyrator has been found by the use of Mn-substituted nickel zinc ferrite. A trilayer gyrator of Mn-doped Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 has η = 85% at low power conditions (∼20 mW/in3) and η ≥ 80% at high power conditions (∼5 W/in3). It works close to fundamental electromechanical resonance in both direct and converse modes. The value of η is by far the highest reported so far, which is due to the high mechanical quality factor (Qm) of the magnetostrictive ferrite. Such highly efficient ME gyrators with a significant power density could become important elements in power electronics, potentially replacing electromagnetic and piezoelectric transformers.

Coupled UHF Micromechanical Ring Resonators With Schottky Transducers

In this letter, we present ultra-high frequency coupled ring resonators realized in a suspended AlGaN/GaN heterostructure. The piezoelectric transducers consist of back-to-back nickel (Ni) Schottky diodes deposited on a 20-nm-thick AlGaN layer and a floating 2-D electron gas (2-DEG) sheet at the AlGaN/GaN interface. The dispersion characteristics of symmetric and anti-symmetric Lamb waves in ring resonators are characterized. Higher order resonance harmonics are targeted with very high mechanical quality factors ( $Q\text{s}$ ) through optimized design of the coupling beam. Such a scheme minimizes the acoustic energy leakage to the substrate, and thus increases anchor $Q$ . We report on a high-order breathing resonance mode at 900.7 MHz with very high mechanical $Q$ of 8350 measured at room temperature and ambient pressure, achieving a record high frequency $\times Q$ value of $7.5\times 10^{12}$ . [2017-0064]

Hardening of electromechanical properties in piezoceramics using a composite approach

Piezoelectric applications such as ultrasonic motors, transformers and therapeutic ultrasonics demand high power generation with low losses, which is facilitated by “hard” ferroelectrics. Hardening of piezoelectric properties, characterized by high mechanical quality factor (Qm), is usually achieved by doping with lower valence elements, thereby tailoring the domain wall dynamics. In the present study, we demonstrate a hardening mechanism by developing composites of 0.94(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3-0.06BaTiO3 (NBT-6BT) with ZnO inclusions, as an alternative to chemical modifications. A decrease in the saturation polarization and total strain, higher internal bias fields, lower hysteretic losses and a two-fold increase in Qm are observed in comparison to NBT-6BT. The composite with 0.1 mole ratio of ZnO exhibits the highest Qm of 320 with d33 = 125 pC/N and Kp = 0.29. A one-to-one correspondence between the increase in Qm and the decrease in the domain wall mobility is established from the ac field dependence of permittivity, in the framework of the Rayleigh law. A further increase in ZnO content beyond a mole ratio of 0.1 reduces Qm, but retains it at a higher level, as compared to NBT-6BT. The results are explained based on the poling-induced strain incompatibility between the matrix and the hard ZnO phase. This composite approach is therefore considered a generic hardening concept and can be extended to other ferroelectric systems.

Impacts of acceptor doping on the piezoelectric properties and domain structure in NBT-based lead-free ceramics

The domain structure and piezoelectric properties of Mn-doped 0.79(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3-0.14(K0.5Na0.5)TiO3-0.07BaTiO3 (BNBK79) ceramics were studied. The relationship between macroscopic properties and microstructure was established. The pure and Mn doped BNBK79 ceramics show different dynamic behavior in strain behavior and polarization hysteresis, due to the different domain structure and domain switching behavior. The BNBK79 ceramics show dominating irregular watermarks domain configuration before poling, changes to simple parallel stripes after poling, while BNBK79-Mn ceramics show more complicated domain configurations, where regular domain stripes containing Herringbones assembled with watermarks are dominated before poling, and the Herringbones remain after poling. The pinning effect induced by MnTi''−V0.. defect dipoles accounts for the complicated domain structure and hinders the domain switching, resulting in “hard” properties (low dielectric loss of 0.6% and high mechanical quality factor Qm of 1100), makes BNBK79-Mn ceramics promising for high-power piezoelectric applications.

Investigation of MnO2‐doped (Ba, Ca)TiO3 lead‐free ceramics for high power piezoelectric applications

Abstractx% mol MnO2‐doped Ba0.925Ca0.075TiO3 ceramics (abbreviated as BCT‐Mnx, x=0‐1.5) were synthesized by conventional solid‐state reaction method. The effects of MnO2 addition and (Ba+Ca)/Ti mole ratio (A/B ratio) on the microstructure and electrical properties of the ceramics were investigated. The internal bias filed Ei was determined from the asymmetrical polarization hysteresis loops and found to increase with the doping concentration of MnO2. High mechanical quality factors (Qm&gt;1200) and low dielectric loss (tanδ&lt;0.5%) were found in the BCT‐Mn0.75 and BCT‐Mn1.0 ceramics with Ei&gt;3 kV/cm, meanwhile, the piezoelectric and electromechanical properties were found to decrease compared with the pure BCT, exhibiting a typical characteristic of “hard” behavior. Of particular interest is that the microstructure of BCT‐Mn0.75 ceramics could be controlled by changing the A/B ratio, where enhanced piezoelectric coefficient d33 on the order of 190 pC/N was obtained in the BCT‐Mn0.75 ceramics with A/B=1.01 due to its fine‐grained microstructure, with yet high Qm, being on the order of 1000. The high d33 and Qm in MnO2‐doped BCT ceramics make it a promising candidate for high power piezoelectric applications.

Low-temperature sintering and piezoelectric properties of CuO-doped (K,Na)NbO3 ceramics

The lead-free piezoelectric [(K0.485Na0.515)0.935Li0.065](Nb0.99Ta0.01)O3 (KNLNT) ceramics with a high mechanical quality factor (Qm) were prepared at low sintering temperature below 950°C for multilayered piezoelectric devices. Co-doping effect of 1mol% Na2CO3 and 0–1mol% CuO on the densification and piezoelectric properties were investigated. Co-doping effectively decreased the sintering temperature of KNLNT ceramics to 920°C. The co-doped KNLNT ceramics had a bimodal size distribution of large abnormal grains and small matrix grains above 900°C. When the sintering temperature increased above 900°C, a dielectric constant (εr) and loss (tan δ) decreased considerably and concurrently mechanical quality factor (Qm) greatly enhanced. The co-doped KNLNT ceramic with 1mol% Na2CO3 and 0.5mol% CuO had a high Qm and excellent piezoelectric properties when sintered at 940°C: a dielectric constant of 245 and loss (tan δ) of 0.0034, an electromechanical coupling factor (kp) of 0.449, and Qm of 904.

Demonstration of an ultra-low-threshold phonon laser with coupled microtoroid resonators in vacuum

We demonstrate an ultra-low-threshold phonon laser using a coupled-microtoroid-cavity system by introducing a novel coupling approach. The scheme exhibits both high optical quality factors and high mechanical quality factors. We have experimentally obtained the mechanical quality factor up to 18,000 in vacuum for a radial-breathing mode of 59.2 MHz. The measured phonon lasing threshold is as low as 1.2 μW, which is ∼5 times lower than the previous result.