Effects of piezoelectric constants and thickness of lead zirconate titanate ceramics on the performances of an inkjet printhead

The effects of the piezoelectric constants and the thicknesses of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) ceramics on the performances of inkjet printheads have been investigated. To find the optimum actuator design of an inkjet printhead, we prepared bulk PZT samples with different piezoelectric coefficients and thickness. A soft and slim bulk PZT sample with a thickness of 50 μm showed the best results, with a displacement of 238 nm, a jetting speed of 11 m/s and a 32-pL drop volume at 95 V with a 30-μm nozzle diameter. The results suggest that a soft and thinner bulk PZT could be promising for piezoelectric application. In this paper, we analytically explain that the doped elements strongly influence the piezoelectric performances and that the thickness ratio of the piezoelectric layer to the Si substrate is a main factor in actuating and jetting performance. The effects of the piezoelectric constants and the thicknesses of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) ceramics on the performances of inkjet printheads have been investigated. To find the optimum actuator design of an inkjet printhead, we prepared bulk PZT samples with different piezoelectric coefficients and thickness. A soft and slim bulk PZT sample with a thickness of 50 μm showed the best results, with a displacement of 238 nm, a jetting speed of 11 m/s and a 32-pL drop volume at 95 V with a 30-μm nozzle diameter. The results suggest that a soft and thinner bulk PZT could be promising for piezoelectric application. In this paper, we analytically explain that the doped elements strongly influence the piezoelectric performances and that the thickness ratio of the piezoelectric layer to the Si substrate is a main factor in actuating and jetting performance. KCI Citation Count: 1