Abstract
A new and highly sensitive strain transducer has been developed using a thin-film semiconductor deposited on a polished piezoelectric ceramic substrate. Field-effect coupling has been found to exist between the substrate and film in which the number of mobile carriers in the semiconductor is dependent on the electric-displacement vector of the substrate. Therefore, the conductivity of the semiconducting film can be altered by piezoelectric charge due to a strain applied to the substrate material. An effective gage constant has been calculated in terms of the piezoelectric and elastic constants of the substrate and electronic properties of the film. Experimental devices were constructed by depositingp type tellurium on polished lead-zirconate-titanate ceramic resulting in experimentally observed gage factors as high as 5800 compared to 100–200 for conventional semiconductor gages. The semiconductor film exhibits an electronic instability that limits its use, at present, to transient measurements with frequencies above 1 Hz. Data will also be presented to show that the gage constant is continuously variable between a positive and negative maximum value by altering the magnitude and direction of the substrate-polarization vector. It is believed that these gages will be useful in those cases where extremely small strains (∼10−7) are to be measured or when moderate strains (∼10−4) are to be determined in an electrically noisy background.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Neubert, H. K. P., Strain Gauges, Kinds and Uses, MacMillan, London, (1967).
Geyling, F. T. and Forst, J. J., “Semiconductor Strain Transducers,” Bell System Tech. Jnl., 705 (May 1960).
Mason, W. P. andThurston, R. N., “Use of Piezoresistive Materials in the Measurement of Displacement Force and Torque,”Jnl. Acoust. Soc. Am. 29,1096 (1957).
Sanchez, J. C. and Wright, W. V., “Recent Developments in Flexible Silicon Strain Gauges,” Winter Instrument-Automation Conference, St. Louis, Mo., (January 1961).
Neubert, H. K. P., Instrument Transducers, Oxford Press, London (1963).
Mark, J. W. andGoldsmith, W., “Barium Titanate Strain Gages,”Proc. SESA, XIII (1),139 (1955).
Ripperger, E. A., “A Piezoelectric Strain Gage,”Proc. SESA, XII (1),117–124 (1954).
Wortman, J. J. andMonteith, L. K., “Semiconductor Mechanical Sensors,”IEEE Trans. ED-16 (10),855 (Oct.1969).
Moore, R. M. andBusonovich, C. J., IEEE Trans. ED-16 (10),850 (Oct.1969).
Muller, R. S. andConragan, J., “A Metal-Insulator-Piezoelectric Semiconductor Electromechanical Transducer,”IEEE Trans. ED-12 (11),590 (Nov.1965).
Moll, J. L. andTarui, J., “A New Solid State Memory Resistor,”IEEE Trans. (Solid-State Res. Conf. Abs.) ED-10,338–339 (Sept.1963).
Zuleeg, R. andWeider, H. H., “Effect of Ferroelectric Polarization on Insulated-Gate Thin Film Transistor Parameters,”Solid-State Electronics 9,657 (1966).
Heyman, P. M. andHeilmeier, G. H., “A Ferroelectric Field Effect Device,”Proc. IEEE 54,842–848 (June1966).
Perlman, S. S. andLudewig, K. H., “An Adaptive Thin-Film Transistor,”IEEE Trans. ED-14,816–821 (Dec.1967).
McCusker, J. H. andPerlman, S. S., “Improved Ferroelectric Field-Effect Devices,”IEEE Trans. (Correspondence), ED-15,182–183 (March1968).
Teather, G. G. andYoung, L., “Non-Destructive Readout of Ferroelectrics by Field Effect Conductivity Modulation,”Solid-State Electronics 11,527 (1968).
Crawford, J. C. andEnglish, F. L., “Ceramic Ferroelectric Field Effect Studies,”IEEE Trans. ED-16 (6),525 (June1969).
Crawford, J. C., “Ferroelectric Field Effect Studies at Low Temperatures,”Ferroelectrics 1,23 (1970).
Weimer, P. K., “The Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor,”Physics of Thin Films, Academic Press, New York, Vol. 2, 147 (1964).
Mason, W. P., Ed., Physical Acoustics, Academic Press, New York, (1964).
Land, C. E. andThacher, P. D., “Ferroelectric Ceramics Electrooptic Materials and Devices,”Proc. IEEE 57 (5),751 (May1969).
Crawford, J. C., “A Piezoelectric Field Effect Strain Gauge,” Sandia Laboratories Research Report, SC-RR-70-53 (1970).
Egerton, R. F. andJuhaz, C., “Field Effect Measurements on Epitaxial PbTe and PbSe Film,”Brit. Jnl. Appl. Phys.,2 (2),975 (1969).
Frocht, M. M., Strength of Materials, Ronald Press, New York, (1951).
Borkan, H. and Weimer, P. K., “An Analysis of the Characteristics of Insulated-Gate Thin Film Transistors,” R.C.A. Review, 153, (June 1963).
Smith, R. A., Semiconductors, Cambridge Press, London (1964).
Land, C. E., Smith, G. W. and Westgate, C. R., “The Dependence of the Small Signal Parameters of Ferroelectric Ceramic Resonators Upon State of Polarization,”IEEE Trans. Sonic and Ultrasonic SU-11 (8) (June 1964).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Crawford, J.C. A piezoelectric field-effect strain gage. Experimental Mechanics 11, 145–152 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324905
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324905