Failure mechanism analysis and experimental study of lead zirconate titanate actuators in piezoelectric micro jetting valve

Piezoelectric ceramics have recently become one of the most common materials in electromechanical industries, especially in the microelectronic packaging industry. In a jetting dispenser, the presence of imbalanced stress-induced defects in such materials prevents them from providing high stability during the jetting dispensing process. In this work, lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics (PZT ceramics) were used to actuate the amplifying mechanism of the jetting dispenser. However, during the cyclic dispensing, several ceramics were found to be damaged. In order to figure out what actually caused the damage, analytical and experimental studies were carried out to acquire characteristics of PZT ceramics with damages, and simulation studies of overstress were also performed. Details of the damage characteristics in PZT ceramics are discussed in this paper. This work will improve the stability and life of the piezoelectric dispenser and further promote its wide application in various fields.