PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT Single Crystals
PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT single crystals are among the most important technological advancements for underwater acoustics in recent years. PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT crystals provide greatly increased sensitivity and much wider bandwidth for underwater transducers. This is due to single crystals’ much higher electromechanical coupling coefficients, as well as few times higher electromechanical strains compared to standard PZT piezoelectric ceramics. This leads to much higher performing underwater transducers when they utilize PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT single crystals, compared to utilizing standard PZT.1 Therefore, utilizing single crystal material could provide the performance breakthrough for underwater sonar applications.
Main Advantages
The main advantages of utilizing PMN-PT or PIN-PMN-PT single crystal over traditional PZT material for sonar applications are as follows:
Broader Bandwidth
It has been proven consistently by industrial applications, as well as in published research that one of the biggest advantages of utilizing PMN-PT for sonar transducers is the increased bandwidth. Design and performance of sonar transducers can be greatly improved due to the much higher electromechanical coupling coefficients (20% higher, on average, compared to traditional PZT) and higher electromechanical strains provided by PMN-PT, compared to traditional PZT.
Smaller Form Factor
The design of the single crystal transducers is critical for fully utilizing the potential advantages of single crystals. Because of its magnitude higher piezoelectric performance, single crystal piezoelectric crystals allow smaller form factor transducer design by decreasing the number of piezoelectric elements necessary. As a result, this not only provides a simplified design, but also provides weight and power advantages. Also, when packaged correctly, it has been proven that they are as strong to shock tests as traditional PZT materials are.
System Level Advantages
Single crystal materials not only provide advantages at the transducer level, but also at the system level. Next generation sonar transducers with piezoelectric single crystals can utilize smaller number of components, compared to traditional PZT, while improving the performance greatly. As a result, higher performance can be achieved at lower power consumption levels. Lower power consumption also helps increase the battery life of the overall sonar system upon deployment. Once the sonar system is deployed, increased battery performance not only provides longer active life for the system, but also improves deployment cycles, maintenance time and cost.
Our Expertise
CTS Corporation is the global leader for high volume single crystal (PMN-PT and PINPMN-PT) manufacturing. Utilizing the fully integrated manufacturing facilities in Illinois, United States, CTS can provide high volume, single crystal plates (un-diced, diced composite), discs or rings that can be utilized in underwater sonar applications. CTS single crystal materials are manufactured to high quality standards in a ISO 9001:2008 certified facility. CTS has collaborated with leading defense contractors to co-develop next generation single crystal sonar transducers that can overperform current generation sonar transducers that utilize standard PZT material. Among defense contractors that utilize piezoelectric single crystals, CTS has been the supplier of choice due to:
High quality and high yield PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT materials
Ability to provide unique component shapes (e.g. rings, plates with wedges)
High tolerance manufacturing techniques
Flexibility to provide tighter dielectric range components
Support from a team of experienced Ph.D level piezoelectric single crystal scientists and well-diversified process engineers
Published Research Has Proven:
1) Sonar transducer utilizing PMN-PT crystal has outperformed traditional PZT material in reception mode, in terms of both voltage output and bandwidth.2
2) PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT single crystals show significantly greater KT 33 values (electromechanical coupling coefficients) over the entire electric field range, compared to traditional PZT.3
3) Thickness coupling coefficient for 1-3 composite for ultrasound transducer fabricated out of PMN-PT has increased by more than twice compared to that of standard PZT.4
4) In a single element transducer made with a single-phase active material, PMN-PT material has proven to outperform PZT-5H ceramic in all transduction modes (transmit-receive mode voltage output is of higher magnitude for PMN-PT single crystal).3
5) PMN-PT single crystal, compared to traditional PZT, provides greatly improved projector performance in a smaller package size. The 650% higher piezoelectric constant provides either 10-15 dB more source level at the same drive, or the same source level at 10-15 dB lower drive. The 50% higher coupling factor for PMN-PT provides 6 times greater bandwidth, while providing better amplifier matching.5
Advantages of Single Crystal Piezoelectric Materials for Sonar Applications:
1) Higher piezoelectric constant (Higher transmit voltage)
2) Higher electromechanical coupling coefficients (Increased sensitivity and wider bandwidth)
3) Lower modulus (Smaller projector size)
4) Higher sensitivity both in transmission and reception modes1
5) Improved power consumption at the system level (Improved down-time)
Applications:
- Maritime Security
- Anti-Submarine Warfare
- Hydrophones
- Oil and Gas Exploration
- High-Resolution Underwater Acoustic Imaging
PMN-PT vs. Standard PZT Property Comparison in Sonar Transducer Applications
The chart above compares sonar transducer related piezoelectric critical parameters for PMN-PT and that of traditional PZT. Data proves that PMN-PT has exceeded traditional PZT properties by at least 5 folds, as also summarized in the table below. This translates to much higher performing sonar transducers, while potentially requiring less components if traditional PZT were to be utilized, as previously explained in greater detail.
647 / 648 CTS-CS-BAX-20-0250-H CTS-CS-BAX-20-0500-H CTS-CS-BAX-20-1000-H CTS-CS-BAX-20-1500-H CTS-CS-CXX-04 CTS-CS-CXX-10 CTS-CS-CAX-04-025 CTS-CS-CAX-04-050 CTS-CS-CAX-04-075 CTS-CS-CAX-10-050 CTS-CS-CAX-10-100 CTS-CS-CAX-10-200 HSM-800 CTS-CS-PAX-12-0250 CTS-CS-PAX-12-0500 CTS-CS-PAX-12-0750 CTS-CS-PAX-12-1000 CTS-CS-BAX-20-0250 CTS-CS-BAX-20-0500 CTS-CS-BAX-20-1000 CTS-CS-BAX-20-1500 6002 6020 M32192/3 M32192/4 M32192/5 NASA GSFC S-311-P-18 NASA GSFC S_-311-P827 QTC11 QTMC RTH06 RTH22 RTH42 RTH44 TT-2 TT-3/TTLS TT- 5 TT-6 TT-7 TT-7C T-8 TT-DO SB SP 6001 6004 6005 6007 6009 6022 6025 6026 6027 6028 6032 6033 6035 6037 6038 6040 6044 CTS-IP68 (QTIPS68) QTSSP TT-0 TT-0P TT-4 TT-PT DTU6001-001 DTU6001-002 DTU6005-001 DTU6005-002 DTU6009-001 DTU6020-001 DTU6022-001 DTU6024C-001 DTU6028-002 DTU6028-010 DTU6035-001 TT-TCO 033TB 033TE 212 220 221 227 222A 222B 222C 222D 222E 222G 222H 222J 222K 222M 222P 222S 222U 222V 222W 223A 223B 223C 223D 223E 223G 223H 223J 223L 224A 225A 225C 225F 226A 226B 226E 226H 228A 228B 228C 228D 228E 228F 228G 228H 229A 229AP 229AC 229S 229SP 229SC 193 194 195 204 206 206RA 208 208RA 209 210 218 219 219G 220 221 003 285C 285N 285S 286 500 525 576 11CE 12CE 288 290 291 291A 292 293 06TR 09TR 14TR 026 09VR 11VR 12VR 14VR 18VRG 251 270 280 282 284 287 295 450 450G 448
