PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF MODIFIED LEAD SCANDIUM TANTALATE CERAMICS

The piezoelectric properties of selected compositions from the solid s olution system(1 - x)Pb(Sc1/2Ta1/2)O-3-(x)PbTiO3 have been investigate d primarily by the resonance method. The peak values of the piezoelect ric strain coefficient (d(33)=655 pC/N) and the electromechanical coup ling factors (k(t)=0.5, k(p)=0.61 and k(33)=0.73) accompanied by an ex ceptionally low value of the mechanical quality factor (Q(m)=30) were observed for the x=0.45 composition. The strong piezoelectric response of this composition in conjunction with its low mechanical quality fa ctor make it an attractive candidate for a variety of transducer appli cations.