Fabrication and transverse piezoelectric characteristics of PZT thick-film actuators on alumina substrates

Soft piezoelectrics based on niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5H) are used for actuator applications. Through careful control of particle dispersion in thick-film ink formulations, crack-free and dense PZT thick-films of thickness 40 μm have been fabricated on alumina substrates by screen-printing method. The transverse piezoelectric coefficient, e 31 * (= d 31/ s 11) have been determined from the tip deflection of the unimorph cantilevers. The PZT films on alumina substrates exhibited good linear piezoelectric deflection to the applied voltage with the stable piezoelectric coefficient, e 31 * of −4.0 C/m 2.