Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.

Piezoelectric and electrostrictive responses in poled and unpoled ferroelectric and relaxor ferroelectric compositions are of importance in transducers for converting electrical to mechanical impulses and vice-versa. Sensor applications make use of the very high piezoelectric constant dijk of the converse effect, which also permit efficient conversion of electrical to mechanical response. One of the most important families of materials for piezoelectric applications is Pb(Zr,Ti)O3(PZT). The most widely studied composition of PZT lies at the boundary between the tetragonal and rhombohedral phases, known as the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and exhibits greatly enhanced dielectric and piezoelectric properties in bulk and thin film. In modern electronic applications, pyroelectric detectors, piezoelectric microsensors, and micromechanical pumps require the integration of PZT films into a variety of device structures. To get sufficiently large piezoelectric strains for optimization of the performance and reliability of the device, thick films in the thickness range of 5–50 μm are desired. On the other hand burying the device components within the substrate is of utmost importance for miniaturization. In comparison to traditional surface mounted components embedded ones will free surface space for a higher functionality of the device, reduce solder points and increase device reliability. Additionally, to reduce the device costs the use of flexible copper foil as substrates is of particular interest. Its high conductivity and compatibility with printed circuit boards makes copper an attractive candidate substrate for embedded application. However, depositing PZT thick films on copper is not trivial, due to the conflict between the high temperature required to sinter PZT (∼1150°C) and low melting temperature of Cu (∼1050°C), in addition to the easy oxidation of Cu. As a consequence the preparation of PZT thick films on Cu involves a complex route to decrease the ceramic sintering temperature and to control the oxygen partial pressure. So far, no successful deposition of PZT thick films on copper foils was reported.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at MC 2007, 33rd DGE Conference in Saarbrücken, Germany, September 2 – September 7, 2007

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, July 30 – August 3, 2005

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, July 30 – August 3, 2006

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, USA, July 26 – July 30, 2009

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 1 – August 5, 2010.