FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PZT/THERMOPLASTIC POLYMER COMPOSITES FOR HIGH-FREQUENCY PHASED LINEAR ARRAYS

A new method of fabricating PZT/polymer composites with 2-2 connectivity is described. This fabrication technique offers significant advantages over conventional dice-and-fill fabrication methods, and the composites exhibit the high electromechanical coupling expected from conventional PZT/polymer composites. In this method, thin (less than or equal to 20 mu m) sintered PZT plates and sheets of a thermoplastic polymer film (less than or equal to 6 mu m) are bonded together via thermal processing. A technique for sintering thin, flat PZT plates from tape cast materials was developed to provide the necessary PZT plates. The resulting composite blocks were cut to required dimensions, electroded, and poled. Electromechanical properties were measured to evaluate the composites.