ASA 124th Meeting New Orleans 1992 October

3aPA3. Nonlinear behavior of PZT ceramics at megahertz frequencies.

M. A. Breazeale

Jeongkwan Na

Natl. Ctr. for Phys. Acoust., Univ. of Mississippi, University, MS 38677

Dept. of Phys., Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1200

The ceramic PZT often is used as a transducer. It can be polarized by raising the temperature above the Curie temperature and applying an electric field. It has exhibited many anomalous physical properties, however, and its nonlinearity is no exception. An increase in the nonlinearity parameter of two orders of magnitude near the Curie temperature and a frequency dependence even at room temperature have been observed. Such behavior is different from that of any solid that has been measured. Measurements of the anomalous nonlinear behavior of PZT are presented and mention is made of some technological implications of this behavior. [Research supported by Murata Corp.]