Measurement of transverse vibrations of piezoelectric ceramics by atomic force microscopy

Abstract

The experimental measurement of transverse vibrations of piezoceramics excited by an oscillating charge is a complicated technical challenge first of all due to the fact that the amplitudes of these oscillations are small. The problem gets even harder when the frequency of excitation is far from the resonance frequencies of piezoelectric ceramics. Pseudostatic (low frequency) excitation produces even smaller deformations of the piezoelectric ceramics. Nevertheless, the possibility of direct registration of transverse oscillations of electrically excited piezoceramics would be of great interest not only for the designers of ultrasonic motors but also for many others in different applications of piezoelectric materials. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is effectively applied for the measurement of nanoscale displacement, strain, and thermal deformation fields. This paper is focused on the applicability of AFM for the measurement of dynamic displacements of electrically excited piezoelectric ceramic materials even far away from their resonance frequencies.