Fujifilm creates new PZT actuator film with higher piezoelectric constant

July 25, 2012

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)

John Wallace

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/

About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.