Structural disorder and loss of piezoelectric properties in α-quartz at high temperature

The piezoelectric properties of alpha-quartz-based resonators, characterized by the mechanical quality factor, Q, are found to degrade beginning above 300 degreesC. This is well below the transition at 573 degreesC to the beta phase, which in principle limits the piezoelectric response of this material. This gradual loss of piezoelectric response can be linked to the increase in structural disorder in alpha-quartz found in total neutron scattering measurements. Analysis of these data by reverse Monte Carlo modeling indicates that between 200 and 400 degreesC, the local disorder in the instantaneous structure of alpha-quartz becomes comparable to that of beta-quartz. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.