A piezo-mechanical characterization of PZT thick films screen-printed on alumina substrate

• DOI: 10.1016/s0924-4247(01)00767-1
• Publication Date: 2002-10-15T01:22:28Z
• Authors: Vincent Walter; Patrick Delobelle; Patrice Le Moal; Eric Joseph; Manuel Collet
• Keywords: Lead zirconate titanate; Bimorph; Characterization

Abstract Thick soft and hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films are fabricated on alumina substrates using the screen-printing technique. The geometries of the substrates are suited to three different mechanical characterization tests devoted to the determination of the Young’s modulus of the films: a dynamic, a quasi-static and a nanoindentation test. Values of 52±8 and 20±7 GPa for the Young’s modulus are, respectively calculated for the soft- and hard-PZT. These values are strongly influenced by porosity in the films. The piezoelectric coefficient d 31 is also investigated. It is found to be near −120±5 pC/N for the soft-PZT and it is close to −25±3 pC/N for the hard-PZT. Motivated by experimental observations, a non-linear piezo-mechanical model predicting the electromechanical behavior of a cantilever bimorph is developed.