Tokyo, Japan--Engineers at Fujifilm have created an improved lead zirconate titanate (PZT) film for use as actuators (motion-control devices) in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). The results were announced at Techno-Frontier 2012 (Tokyo; July 11 to 13, 2012).
The sputtered PZT film has a high niobium (Nb) dopant level of up to 13%, giving it a d31 piezoelectric coefficient of -250 pm/V, which is about 70% higher than in previous films. This could lead to actuators for MEMS, micro-optoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS), and other photonic uses that operate at much lower voltages.
The film can be sputtered on a 6 or 8 in. silicon wafer, with films on the 6 in. wafers having a thickness variation of less than ±5% across the whole wafer. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the film is in a perovskite phase with a (100) orientation.
The film made on 6 in. wafers is ready now for volume production, says Fujifilm. The 8 in. wafer version, however, needs work to meet thickness uniformity goals.
Sources:
http://www.techconnectworld.com/World2012/a.html?i=1127
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20120724/230051/