Optimization of the performance of the sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer

The resonance and antiresonance frequency, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient, and the mechanical quality factor of a sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer are studied and optimized. The effect of the thickness of thick piezoelectric element electrodes on the transducer performance is analyzed. The effect of the length and position of the piezoelectric elements in the transducer is also studied. It is shown that, although using thick electrodes is beneficial for releasing heat produced by the piezoelectric elements, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient and the mechanical quality factor are reduced. The length and the position of the piezoelectric elements affect the performances of the transducer. Increasing the length of the piezoelectric elements decreases the mechanical quality factor, but the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient increases. When the length reaches a certain value, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient reaches a maximum value. When the piezoelectric elements are located at the geometrical center or the displacement node, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient and the mechanical quality factor are maximized. (C) 2004 Acoustical Society of America.