• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.261-271
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• 2017

Environment-friendly $(K,Na)NbO_3-based$ (KNN) lead-free piezoelectric materials have been studied extensively in the past decade. Significant progress has been made in this field, manifesting competitive piezoelectric performance with that of lead-based, for specific application scenarios. Further understanding of the relationship between high piezoelectricity and microstructure or more precisely, ferroelectric domain structure, domain wall pinning effect, domain wall conduction and local polarization switching underpins the continuous advancement of piezoelectric properties, with the help of piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). In this review, we will present the fundamentals of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and its cardinal derivative in piezoelectric and ferroelectric world, PFM. Some representative operational modes and a variety of recent applications in KNN-based piezoelectric materials are presented. We expect that PFM and its combination with some newly developed technology will continue to provide great insight into piezoelectric materials and structures, and will play a valuable role in promoting the performance to a new level.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.692-701
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• 2012

Recently, many lead-free piezoelectric materials have been investigated for the replacement of existing Pb-based piezoelectric ceramics because of globally increasing environmental interest. There has been remarkable improvement in piezoelectric properties of some lead-free ceramics such as $(Bi,Na)TiO_3-(Bi,K)TiO_3-BaTiO_3$, $(Na,K)NbO_3-LiSbO_3$, and so on. However, no one still has comparable piezoelectric properties to lead-based materials. Therefore, new lead-free piezoelectric ceramics are required. $BiFeO_3$ has a rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure at room temperature and a very high Curie temperature ($T_C$= 1,100 K). And a very large electric polarization of 50 ~ 60 ${\mu}C/cm^2$ has been reported both in epitaxial thin film and single crystal $BiFeO_3$. Therefore, a high piezoelectric effect is expected also in a $BiFeO_3$ ceramics. The recent research activities on $BiFeO_3$ or $BiFeO_3$-based solid solutions are reviewed in this article.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.181-184
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• 2017

Multilayer ceramics in which piezoelectric layers of $0.90Pb(Zr_{0.48}Ti_{0.52})O_3-0.05Pb(Mn_{1/3}Sb_{2/3})O_3-0.05Pb(Zn_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})O_3$ (0.90PZT-0.05PMS-0.05PZN) stack alternately with silver electrode layers were prepared by an advanced low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) method. The electrical properties and bonding strength of the multilayers were associated with the interface morphologies between the piezoelectric and silver-electrode layers. Usually, the inner silver electrodes are fabricated by sintering silver paste in multi-layer stacks. To improve the interface bonding strength, piezoelectric powders of 0.90PZT-0.05PMS-0.05PZN with an average particle size of $23{\mu}m$ were added to silver paste to form a gradient interface. SEM observation indicated clear interfaces in multilayer ceramics without powder addition. With the increase of piezoelectric powder addition in the silver paste, gradient interfaces were successfully obtained. The multilayer ceramics with gradient interfaces present greater bonding strength as well as excellent piezoelectric properties for 30~40 wt% of added powder. On the other hand, over addition greatly increased the resistance of the inner silver electrodes, leading to a piezoelectric behavior like that of bulk ceramics in multilayers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2003.07b
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• pp.693-696
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• 2003

Piezoelectric ceramics were made by a doctor blade methode and piezoelectric fans were fabricated by sandwiched a slim and long metal between two layers of ceramics. A maximum displacement of piezoelectric fan occurs in the resonance frequency of a long metal and the resonance frequency of them is in inverse proportion to the square of a length of metal. The piezoelectric fan made from a wide and thin piezoelectric ceramics($13{\times}0.2{\times}30mm^3$) showed a maximum displacement in all samples, and the maximum displacement was about 20mm in a commercial power (200V, 60Hz of sine wave).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.555-560
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• 2014

In this paper, in order to develop outstanding Pb-free composition ceramics, the $Fe_2O_3$-doped ($Na_{0.525}K_{0.443}Li_{0.037}$)($Nb_{0.883}Sb_{0.08}Ta_{0.037}$)$O_3$ + 0.3 wt% $Bi_2O_3$ + x wt% $Fe_2O_3$ (x= 0~1.0 wt%)(abbreviated as NKL-NST) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have been synthesized using the ordinary solid state reaction method. The effect of $Fe_2O_3$-doping on their microstructure and electrical properties were investigated. XRD diffraction pattern studies confirm that $Fe_2O_3$ completely diffused into the NKL-NST lattice to form a new stable soild solution with $Fe^{3+}$ entering the $Nb^{5+}$, $Sb^{5+}$ and $Ta^{5+}$ of B-site. And, phase structure of all the ceramics exhibited pure perovskite phase and no secondary phase was found in the ceramics. The ceramics doped with 0.6 wt% $Fe_2O_3$ have the optimum values of piezoelectric constant($d_{33}$), planar piezoelectric coupling coefficient($k_p$) and mechanical quality factor($Q_m$) : $d_{33}$ = 233 [pC/N], $k_p$= 0.44, $Q_m$= 95. These results indicate that the ($Na_{0.525}K_{0.443}Li_{0.037}$)($Nb_{0.883}Sb_{0.08}Ta_{0.037}$)$O_3$ +0.3 wt% $Bi_2O_3$ + 0.6 wt% $Fe_2O_3$ ceramic is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.07a
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• pp.149-152
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• 2001

A great deal of attention has been focused on the application of miniaturized piezoelectric transformers to the low power source for the microsystem. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Pb(Mn,W,Sb,Nb)O$_3$-Pb(Zr,Ti)O$_3$ ceramics have been investigated on different calcination(750$^{\circ}C$∼950$^{\circ}C$) and sintering(1100$^{\circ}C$∼1300$^{\circ}C$) temperatures. The perovskitic phase was formed by the solid phase reaction of the oxides. Anisotropic (k$\sub$t/k$\sub$p/) properties of electromechanical coupling coefficient and piezoelectric coefficient have been proven to be depending on processing temperatures. The value of electromechanical coupling factor of K$\sub$p/>0.51 and a mechanical quality factor of Q$\sub$m/>2000 were obtained. The piezoelectric transformer was prepared using this ceramics with the composition of Pb(Mn,W,Sb,Nb)O$_3$-Pb(Zr,Ti)O$_3$ We studied the influence of different processing temperature on the microstructure and piezoelectric properties of complex PZT-based ceramics. and the characteristic of piezoelectric transformer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.205-209
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• 2016

In this paper, piezoelectric ceramics with the composition of $(Na_{0.525}K_{0.4425}Li_{0.0375})(Nb_{0.8975}Sb_{0.065}Ta_{0.0375})O_3+0.3wt%\;CoO+x\;CuO$ ($0.005{\leq}x{\leq}0.025$) (abbreviated to NKL-NST) were fabricated for ultrasonic sensor application. The effects of CuO addition and sintering on the microstructure and the piezoelectric properties of the NKL-NST ceramics were systematically studied. Excellent piezoelectric properties such as electromchanical coupling $factor(k_p)=0.415$, piezoelectric constant $(d_{33})=166pC/N$ and piezoelectric figure of merit $d_{{33}*}g_{33}=5.47pm^2/N$ were obtained from the 2.5 mol% CuO doped NKL-NST+0.3 wt%CoO ceramics sintered at $1,000^{\circ}C$ for 3 h.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.404-408
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• 2010

The effects of high energy ball-milling (HEBM) on the sintering behavior and piezoelectric properties of 0.1 wt% $Li_2CO_3$ doped 0.8Pb($Mg_{1/3}Nb_{2/3}$)$O_3$-0.2Pb($Zr_{0.475}Ti_{0.525}$)$O_3$ (PMN-PZT) ceramics were investigated. It was found that HEBM treatment was quite effective to reduce the average particle size down to 300 nm, leading to increased density as well as enhanced piezoelectric properties of a sintered specimen even though prolonged HEBM resulted in unwanted secondary phases that caused a degradation of piezoelectric properties. The dielectric constant ($\varepsilon_r$), piezoelectric coupling factor ($k_p$) and piezoelectric constant $d_{33}$ of 0.1 wt% $Li_2CO_3$ doped PMN-PZT ceramics prepared via HEBM for 10 h reached 2040, 0.68 and 554 pC/N, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.597-601
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• 2002

In this study, the structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of $Pb[(Ni_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})_x-(Mn_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})_{0.09-x}-(Zn_{0.505}Ti_{0.495)_0.91]O_3$ (x=0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05) system ceramics were investigated to develop the composition ceramics for piezoelectric transformer. All the specimens were sintered at $1250^{\circ}C$ and its physical properties were measured, and the results are as follows : With increasing PNN substitution for PMN-PZT system, dielectric constant was increased and electro-mechanical coupling factor($k_p$) was increased to 0.62 at 5 mol% while mechanical quality factor(Qm) was decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.885-891
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• 2001

Ring/dot-type step-down piezoelectric transformer was manufactured by using Pb[(Mn$\sub$1/3/Sb$\sub$2/3)$\sub$0.05/Zr$\sub$0.475/Ti$\sub$0.475/]O$_3$ ceramics, which have excellent high-power piezoelectric properties. The characteristics of step-down piezoelectric transformer as a function of load resistance at output terminal was examined. Voltage gain was greatly dependent on drive frequency and load resistance, and showed maximum voltage gain at the resonance frequency. The output voltage was linearly increased as the input voltage increased. Voltage gain of the step-down piezoelectric transformer with respect to input voltage was very stable when the load resistance was in the range of 50-500 $\Omega$ .