Crystallographic dependence of loss in domain engineered relaxor-PT single crystals

Appl Phys Lett. 2009 Apr 20;94(16):162906. doi: 10.1063/1.3125431. Epub 2009 Apr 24.

Abstract

Domain engineered 001 oriented relaxor-PbTiO(3) ferroelectric crystals exhibit high electromechanical properties and low mechanical Q values, analogous to "soft" piezoelectric ceramics. However, their characteristic low dielectric loss (</=0.5%) and strain-electric field hysteresis are reflective of "hard" piezoelectric materials. In this work, the electromechanical behavior of relaxor-PT crystals was investigated as a function of crystallographic orientations. It was found that the electrical and mechanical losses in crystals depends on the specific engineered domain configuration, with high Q observed for the 110 orientation. The high Q, together with high electromechanical coupling ( approximately 0.9) for 110 oriented relaxor-PT crystals, make them promising candidates for resonant based high power transducer applications.