High power transformer employing piezoelectric ceramics

0.10Pb(Mn1/3Sb2/3)O-3-0.47PbZrO(3)-0.43PbTiO(3) piezoelectric ceramics in a single-layer transformer successfully produces a maximum available power of 11 W. This 42x10x1mm piezoelectric transformer operates in a third order length expansion vibration mode, with a load impedance of 100k Omega at the output terminal. Two types of ceramic fabrication have been tested: one using 5.5 m(2)/g specific surface area calcined powder sintered at 1100 degrees C, the other using 2.0 m(2)/g specific surface area calcined powder sintered at 1300 degrees C. While such ceramics are expected to be especially useful in multilayered structure transformers, as well, sintering at 1100 degrees C would be preferred for multilayer designs because relatively low cost metals, such as Ag-Pd alloys, could be employed for the internal electrodes. With ceramics sintered at 1300 degrees C, however; high cost metals such as Pt would have to be used.