In addition to the Arrange&Fill method for the production of 1-3 fiber composites, Smart Material is also manufacturing 1-3 composites using the standard Dice&Fill method, which is the current industry standard for frequencies above 1MHz.
1-3 dice and fill piezo composites are prepared by dicing a piezoceramic plate into an orthogonal array, cutting 80%-90% of the plate thickness. The pitch (distance between rods) must be very small, typically near 100µm at 5 MHz resonance frequency, to avoid lateral modes and grating lobes. The kerfs or trenches are filled with epoxy or other polymer material. After the interstitial material has cured the uncut side of the ceramic is grinded down to the rod structure and the thickness is adjusted to the desired resonance frequency.

This yields a regular pixel or rod distribution required for phased array ultrasound transducers.

Smart Material is typically manufacturing Dice&Fill standard composites for frequencies between 2MHz and 10MHz with maximum sizes of 60mm by 60mm

 

Compared with the Arrange&Fill production method for the 1-3 fiber composite the Dice&Fill are in general more expensive as comparable 1-3 Fiber composite due to the additional production steps. Scaleabity for volume quantities is also more resource controlled compared with 1-3 fiber composites. For a high volume, single element applications 1-3 fiber composite are yielding shorter lead times.

1-3 Standard Dice&Fill Composite specifications:

Resonance Frequencies	2MHz up to 10MHz
Available Fill Factors, approx.	approx. 55%-65%
Acoustic Impedance	~ 18-22 MRayl
Typical coupling coefficient kt	~0.68
PZT materials	Navy type II and VI
Maximum Dimensions	60mm by 60mm (2.4" by 2.4"), typical smaller sizes are 30mm by 30mm
Operational Temp.	typical 100°C, maximum available 130°C
Interstitial Material	various Epoxy systems, typical shore 87D
Available Electrodes	CuSn (Std.), Au for frequencies > 5 MHz

 

Typical applications for 1-3 Standard Dice&Fill Composite:

• Medical Ultrasound
• NDT phased array transducer