A conical piezoelectric transducer with integral sensor as a self-calibrating acoustic emission energy source

The experimental results of a conical piezoelectric transducer with integral backing sensor as a self-calibrating simulated acoustic emission (SAE) energy source are presented. It has been shown that there is a negative linear relationship between the energy of SAE signal detected by the backing sensor and the relative strength (signal energy) of SAE source in the structure detected by a reference sensor under different transducer-to-structure coupling efficiencies, with AC drives of the same wave packet, frequency and peak amplitude to excite the conical transducer as a SAE source at all the investigated frequencies over the frequency range of interest in AE measurements (nominally from 50 kHz to around 1 MHz). This should enable the relative strength of the SAE source in a structure to be determined using the SAE measurement from the backing sensor for the selected electrical inputs to the conical transducer, and hence to remove the concerns about inconsistent transducer-to-structure coupling affecting the relative strength of the SAE source for calibration.     

Lead-free KNLNT piezoelectric ceramics for high-frequency ultrasonic transducer application

This paper presents the latest development of a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic and its application to transducers suitable for high-frequency ultrasonic imaging. A lead-free piezoelectric ceramic with formula of (K_0.5Na_0.5)_0.97Li_0.03(Nb_0.9 Ta_0.1)O₃ (abbreviated as KNLNT-0.03/0.10) was fabricated and characterized. The material was found to have a clamped dielectric constant ε₃₃^S/ε₀ = 890, piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ = 245 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor k_t = 0.42 and Curie temperature T_c > 300 °C. High-frequency (40 MHz) ultrasound transducers were successfully fabricated with the lead-free material. A representative lead-free transducer had a bandwidth of 45%, two-way insertion loss of -18 dB. This performance is comparable to reported performances of popular lead-based transducers. The comparison results suggest that the lead-free piezoelectric material may serve as an alternative to lead-based piezoelectric materials for high-frequency ultrasonic transducer applications.     

Properties of cat-eye modulating retro-reflector and its application with piezoelectric transducer

Piezoelectric cat-eye modulating retro-reflector (MRR) is the core component of an acousto-optic retro-identification system. The influence of the optical parameters (link distance l, lens focal length f and the detector diameter r) to the cat-eye effect was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. A piezoelectric cat-eye retro-identification (PCERI) system was built, and an information transmission ratio of 2 kHz was achieved which can satisfy an access control system.     

A theoretical model of acoustoelectric transducer with a nonuniform distribution of piezoelectric coefficient: application to transducer optimization

A general equation is derived that describes the behavior of a piezoelectric transducer with a nonuniform distribution of piezoelectric coefficient within its bulk, when submitted to an arbitrary distribution of acoustic pressure. Based on this equation, an expression for the receiving transfer function of the transducer is calculated. The results demonstrate the dependence of the transfer function on the distribution of piezoelectric coefficient, and that it is possible to benefit from a nonuniform distribution to optimize the transfer function. The general equation also describes the influence of the external electric circuit loading the transducer, which leads to another independent means of optimizing the transfer function. The proposed model combines effects of piezoelectric material characteristics, acoustic backing, and electric loading, without resorting to Mason or other equivalent circuits for the transducer.     

Microelectronics mounted on a piezoelectric transducer: method, simulations, and measurements

This paper describes the design of a highly integrated ultrasound sensor where the piezoelectric ceramic transducer is used as the carrier for the driver electronics. Intended as one part in a complete portable, battery operated ultrasound sensor system, focus has been to achieve small size and low power consumption. An optimized ASIC driver stage is mounted directly on the piezoelectric transducer and connected using wire bond technology. The absence of wiring between driver and transducer provides excellent pulse control possibilities and eliminates the need for broad band matching networks. Estimates of the sensor power consumption are made based on the capacitive behavior of the piezoelectric transducer. System behavior and power consumption are simulated using SPICE models of the ultrasound transducer together with transistor level modelling of the driver stage. Measurements and simulations are presented of system power consumption and echo energy in a pulse echo setup. It is shown that the power consumption varies with the excitation pulse width, which also affects the received ultrasound energy in a pulse echo setup. The measured power consumption for a 16 mm diameter 4.4 MHz piezoelectric transducer varies between 95 microW and 130 microW at a repetition frequency of 1 kHz. As a lower repetition frequency gives a linearly lower power consumption, very long battery operating times can be achieved. The measured results come very close to simulations as well as estimated ideal minimum power consumption.     

矩形扭转压电换能器的研制

本文从压电和机械振动等基本理论出发，首次较系统地建立了矩形扭转压电换能器的理论，推导出频率方程，并通过实验进行了验证。     

Diffraction-limited short-wavelength optics: Analysis, fabrication, and application

The fundamental physical and technological problems of fabrication and testing, as well as new optics applications providing diffraction-quality images (with spatial resolutions varying from tens of nanometers to several nanometers) at wavelengths of 3?C60 nm, are analyzed. This type of optical systems is required in the mass production of very large-scale integrated circuits (ICs) (projection nanolithography), nanocertification (high-resolution X-ray microscopy), macrodiagnosis (extraterrestrial astronomy), and in fundamental investigations of the interaction between a material (vacuum) and superstrong electromagnetic fields (10²⁰?10²³ W/cm²). The current state of interaction studies around the world has been reviewed. The latest developments implemented in this area at the Institute for Physics of Microstructures, Russian Academy of Sciences, have been discussed.     

Properties of photocured epoxy resin materials for application in piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer matching layers

This paper describes the acoustic properties of a range of epoxy resins prepared by photocuring that are suitable for application in piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer matching layers. Materials, based on blends of diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol A and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol diglycidyl ether, are described. Furthermore, in order to vary the elastic character of the base resin, samples containing polymer microspheres or barium sulfate particles are also described. The acoustic properties of the materials are determined by a liquid coupled through transmission methodology, capable of determining the velocity and attenuation of longitudinal and shear waves propagating in an isotropic layer. Measured acoustic properties are reported which demonstrate materials with specific acoustic impedance varying in the range 0.88-6.25 MRayls. In the samples comprising blends of resin types, a linear variation in the acoustic velocities and density was observed. In the barium sulfate filled samples, acoustic impedance showed an approximately linear variation with composition, reflecting the dominance of the density variation. While such variations can be predicted by simple mixing laws, relaxation and scattering effects influence the attenuation in both the blended and filled resins. These phenomena are discussed with reference to dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry of the samples.     

长周期光纤光栅:原理、制备与应用

较全面介绍了长周期光纤光栅。对比Bragg光纤光栅说明了长周期光纤光栅的特点。对其耦合机理进行了分析 ,阐明了波长选择损耗特性。介绍了长周期光纤光栅的制备方法 ,大致分之为基于非形变的制备方法和基于形变的制备方法。详细阐述其在通信、传感领域的应用 ,尤其是新型应用 :带通滤波、光上下路复用、光纤光源、偏振器件、新型传感等。并针对长周期光纤光栅对温度、应力、外部折射率敏感的特性 ,探讨了调谐性以及温度稳定性的方案     

Carbon nanotube as the core of conical carbon fiber: fabrication,characterization and field emission property

Conical carbon fibers (CCFs) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as their cores were grown on graphite substrates with a chemical vapor deposition method. The CNT-cored CCFs were about several tens of micrometers in length. In the interaction with a probe system, the CNT core filaments demonstrated good mechanical strength. Furthermore, field emission currents around 100 μA were also attained from individual CNTs. The growth mechanism of this CNT/CCF combined structure is briefly discussed. Our method has provided a convenient and inexpensive approach to mass assembling CNTs to a carbon substrate. PACS 81.05.Uw; 81.15.Gh; 79.70.+q     

Novel unconventional inorganic nanowires: fabrication, structural analysis and electrical property evaluation

The authors’ endeavors in recent years to synthesize novel inorganic semiconducting nanowires, to analyze their atomic structures using state-of-the-art electron microscopy facilities and techniques, and to evaluate electrical properties are highlighted. Along with a general survey of nanostructures prepared and thoroughly characterized in the laboratory, particular emphasis is placed on analysis of non-standard nanowires in the Si-ZnS and B-C-N inorganic systems. Si-ZnS biaxial nanowire heterojunctions are found to be n-type semiconductors, due primarily to a lower resistance Si-path. Fractal-like B-C-N nanofibers display high-resistivity I-V curves arising from enrichment of the nanostructure periphery by the insulating BN-rich phase, as revealed by spatially-resolved chemical mapping during energy-filtering electron microscopy. PACS 61.46.w; 68.37.Lp; 68.55.Jk; 64.70.Nd; 72.15.Eb; 78.20.-e     

基于电流和相位差的超声换能器频率自动跟踪

为了提高超声换能器频率跟踪的稳定性,通过对最小电流法和相位差法的原理和应用范围进行分析,提出了基于最小电流和相位差法相结合的并联谐振频率跟踪策略,该策略主要思想是将最小电流法运用于换能器空载阶段,相位差法运用于带载阶段,并且带载时的起始驱动频率取为空载阶段跟踪到的并联谐振频率。由此对最小电流法和相位差法这两种跟踪方法进行取长补短。基于该跟踪策略对换能器在不同负载下进行了实验,结果表明该策略可以快速地跟踪到换能器的并联谐振频率,并且工作稳定。     

Introduction to a novel polymeric composite-based interface: fabrication,characterization and application

The development of a new polymeric composite interface is introduced for pH sensing application. The composite pH/R profile is compared with two other non-composite polymeric materials. It is noted that the composite performs in a promising manner over a wide range of pH. However, further improvement needs to be made to achieve more reproducible and reversible results.     

Axial vibration characteristics of a cylindrical, radially polarized piezoelectric transducer with different electrode patterns

A circular cylindrical piezoelectric transducer with radial polarization is proposed. The axial vibration characteristics of the transducer are studied by three different methods: analytical calculation, FEM simulation and experiment. The symmetric and asymmetric excitation conditions are discussed in the Haskins and Walsh model. For the resonance frequencies of the transducer, the results from the above three methods coincide well with each other. For the vibration amplitude, there are some deviations between the FEM simulation and measurement results; some possible reasons for this are discussed. The influence of the electrode patterns on the excitation modes are also investigated in detail. Based on the study described in this paper, the research methodology for a cylindrical piezoelectric transducer is clarified.     

Emulsification by high frequency ultrasound using piezoelectric transducer: Formation and stability of emulsifier free emulsion

Emulsifier free emulsion was developed with a new patented technique for food and cosmetic applications. This emulsification process dispersed oil droplets in water without any emulsifier. Emulsions were prepared with different vegetable oil ratios 5%, 10% and 15% (v/v) using high frequency ultrasounds generated by piezoelectric ceramic transducer vibrating at 1.7 MHz. The emulsion was prepared with various emulsification times between 0 and 10 h. Oil droplets size was measured by laser granulometry. The pH variation was monitored; electrophoretic mobility and conductivity variation were measured using Zêtasizer equipment during emulsification process. The results revealed that oil droplets average size decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during the first 6 h of emulsification process and that from 160 to 1 μm for emulsions with 5%, 10% and from 400 to 29 μm for emulsion with 15% of initial oil ratio.For all tested oil ratios, pH measurement showed significant decrease and negative electrophoretic mobility showed the accumulation of OH⁻ at oil/water interface leading to droplets stability in the emulsion. The conductivity of emulsions showed a decrease of the ions quantity in solution, which indicated formation of positive charge layer around OH⁻ structure. They constitute a double ionic layer around oil particles providing emulsion stability. This study showed a strong correlation between turbidity measurement and proportion of emulsified oil.     

圆锥面PVDF聚焦换能器的非线性声场理论及实验研究

圆锥面聚焦换能器可在超声成像中获得较好径向分辨率的同时提高探测深度.利用高斯声源函数叠加法来近似表示圆锥面聚焦声源的分布函数，结合近轴近似的KZK方程，得到了圆锥面聚焦换能器在损耗媒质中产生的基波、二次谐波声场的解析解.在实验上制作了PVDF圆锥面聚焦换能器，测量了圆锥面聚焦换能器的基波及二次谐波声场，实验结果和理论计算相符.     

采用Helmholtz共鸣器与悬臂梁压电换能器的声能采集器研究

针对环境中广泛存在的声能,提出了一种采用Helmholtz共鸣器和悬臂梁压电换能器的声能采集器。Helmholtz共鸣器对入射声压进行放大,放大后的声压引起共鸣器弹性薄壁振动,薄壁的振动传递到压电换能器产生电能输出。建立了带弹性壁的立方形共鸣器的等效集中参数理论模型,并与压电换能器的机电特性结合,分析了声能采集器的声-机-电转换原理,研究了声压、声波频率和负载阻抗对输出功率的影响,研究结果为此类声能采集器的优化设计及工程应用提供了一种可行的方法。实验中,声源通过声波导管输出声能,当共鸣器管口处的声压级为94 dB时,系统实测最大输出功率达240μW。该采集器不仅可作为声能自供能采集器,还可在较远距离为低能耗电子装置进行有源声供能。     

压电换能器等效模型分析与阻抗匹配设计

声光可调滤光器(Acousto-optic tunable filter,AOTF)的衍射效率不仅与功率信号源的质量、声光晶体氧化碲(TeO_2)的切型有关,而且压电超声换能器的结构以及其阻抗匹配网络也对AOTF的衍射效率有很大影响。本文对X切型铌酸锂(LiNbO_3,LN)四层镀膜压电超声换能器的等效模型进行了分析,确定了声光介质存在时换能器的阻抗特性,利用射频微波仿真软件,设计了电感-电容复合匹配网络。将换能器压合在TeO_2上,用复色光作为光源进行了声光衍射实验,经仿真与实验验证表明,该匹配电路可以有效的改善压电换能器的阻抗特性,提高换能器带宽,提高能量传输效率,AOTF衍射效率最高可达92.67%。     

X射线波带片的制作及其应用

波带片的低衍射效率限制其在可见光波段的使用,可是在Ｘ射线波段,波带片是唯一达到衍射极限的光学元件,因而引起人们的极大兴趣。本文介绍了当前国际上Ｘ射线波带片的主要制作方法及其应用,同时回顾了用于Ｘ射线聚焦、成像的光学元件——Ｘ射线菲涅耳波带片及近几年才出现的布拉格－菲涅耳波带片的历史背景、基本概念和主要类型。