Wide aperture convex array transducer with PMNPT piezoelectric single crystals

The piezoelectric single crystal PMN-PT has lower acoustic impedance and a higher electromechanical coupling coefficient than conventional piezoelectric materials. For these reasons, single crystal PMN-PT can be a good way to enhance the sensitivity and increase the bandwidth of ultrasonic transducers. However the single crystal has certain limitations in size, manufacturability, and a higher electrical impedance. Thus transducer manufacturers commonly use single crystal material only for a small aperture and lower frequency transducer designs such as a phased array transducer. This paper presents the application of single crystal PMN-PT to a convex transducer with a large aperture, including adaptive design and manufacturability considerations.