Piezoelectric thin films characterization for MEMS applications

Piezoelectric materials have a strong interaction between the mechanical and electrical properties that translates into innovative components and circuits architectures. A novel technique for the determination of the piezoelectric coefficients d₃₁ is introduced. The technique utilize the interaction between mechanical and electrical properties in piezoelectric material. Both; the classical parallel capacitance plate analysis and piezoelectric material theory are used to calculate the capacitance variation in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) film, enabling piezoelectric coefficient to be determined. The values of d₃₁ obtained experimentally is found to be similar to those that have been determined by more elaborate methods.