Experimental and numerical analyses of thick-film piezoceramic structures for miniaturised sensors and actuators

摘要

Purpose - The successful use of piezoceramic thick films in sensors and actuators requires a thorough understanding of their electrical and electromechanical characteristics. Since these characteristics depend not only on the material's composition but also on its compatibility with various substrates and a number of processing parameters, accurate measurements of the material's parameters are essential. Here, the aim of this paper is to present a procedure for characterising lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thick films on pre-fired low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrates performed in order to determine the material parameters for numerical modelling. Design/methodology/approach - Owing to the lack of standard procedures for measuring the elastic and piezoelectric properties of the films, the compliance parameters were evaluated from the results of nano-indentation tests, and a substrate-flexure method was used to evaluate the transverse piezoelectric coefficients. Findings - The validation of the material model and the finite-element (FE) analysis of the demonstrator sensor/actuator structures are shown to be in agreement with the FE model, even if not an exact fit. Originality/value - This paper focuses on a characterisation of PZT thick films screen-printed on pre-fired LTCC substrates.