Piezoelectric Materials | Quartz, Lithium Niobate, AlN, ZnO Wafers

Piezoelectric Materials and Substrates We Supply

UniversityWafer supplies piezoelectric materials and substrates for research, prototyping, MEMS fabrication, acoustic devices, sensors, actuators, photonics, and other advanced applications. Material selection depends on factors such as crystal orientation, piezoelectric response, operating frequency, temperature stability, optical properties, and compatibility with the device fabrication process.

Piezoelectric materials available for research applications include:

Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) – Widely used for acoustic wave devices, optical modulators, integrated photonics, nonlinear optics, and piezoelectric sensors.
Lithium Tantalate (LiTaO₃) – Used in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, RF filters, sensors, and electro-optic applications.
Single-Crystal Quartz (SiO₂) – Valued for frequency stability and used in resonators, oscillators, sensors, and acoustic devices.
Aluminum Nitride (AlN) – A piezoelectric thin-film material used in MEMS, bulk acoustic wave resonators, RF devices, sensors, and integrated semiconductor devices.
Zinc Oxide (ZnO) – Used in piezoelectric thin films, acoustic devices, sensors, transducers, and optoelectronic research.
Langasite (La₃Ga₅SiO₁₄) – A piezoelectric crystal used in acoustic wave and high-temperature sensor research.
Gallium Orthophosphate (GaPO₄) – A quartz-analog piezoelectric crystal studied for resonators, sensors, and elevated-temperature applications.

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Piezoelectric Thin Films on Silicon Wafers

Piezoelectric thin films can be deposited on silicon substrates to combine the mechanical and electronic advantages of silicon with the electromechanical properties of a piezoelectric material. These structures are particularly useful for MEMS, acoustic resonators, RF devices, sensors, and transducers.

A researcher contacted UniversityWafer requesting silicon wafers with piezoelectric films ranging from approximately 50 nm to several microns. The requested silicon substrates included diameters from 2 inches to 4 inches and wafer thicknesses in the approximately 300–600 µm range.

Example UniversityWafer specification: 2-inch silicon (111) wafers with a 25 nm Aluminum Nitride (AlN) piezoelectric layer and a silicon substrate thickness of approximately 625 µm.

Contact UniversityWafer with your required substrate diameter, orientation, thickness, piezoelectric material, film thickness, and quantity for a quote.

Piezoelectricity Explained Video

What Is Piezoelectricity?

Diagram explaining the piezoelectric effect in piezoelectric materials The piezoelectric effect is the generation of electric polarization in certain materials when mechanical stress is applied. This is known as the direct piezoelectric effect. The reverse process also occurs: applying an electric field can produce mechanical strain in a piezoelectric material. This is known as the converse piezoelectric effect.

Because piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical and electrical energy in both directions, they are useful in devices that sense force, pressure, acceleration, vibration, and sound, as well as devices that generate precise mechanical motion.

Common Piezoelectric Materials Used in Research

There is no single “best” piezoelectric material. Researchers select a material according to the required piezoelectric response, frequency, temperature range, dielectric properties, optical properties, fabrication process, and device architecture. Common examples include:

Quartz (SiO₂)
Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)
Barium Titanate (BaTiO₃)
Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃)
Lithium Tantalate (LiTaO₃)
Zinc Oxide (ZnO)
Potassium Niobate (KNbO₃)
Gallium Orthophosphate (GaPO₄)
Langasite (La₃Ga₅SiO₁₄)
Aluminum Nitride (AlN)

What Are Piezoelectric Coefficients?

Piezoelectric coefficients describe the electromechanical response of a piezoelectric material. They help researchers compare how effectively a material converts an applied electric field into mechanical strain or mechanical stress into electrical charge.

Important Piezoelectric and Material Coefficients

Property	Symbol	Description
Piezoelectric Strain Coefficient	d_ij	Relates mechanical strain to applied electric field, or electric displacement to applied mechanical stress.
Piezoelectric Stress Coefficient	e_ij	Describes electromechanical coupling using stress/strain and electric-field relationships.
Elastic Compliance	s_ij	Describes how much a material deforms in response to mechanical stress.
Permittivity	ε_ij	Describes the dielectric response of the material to an electric field.
Electromechanical Coupling	k	Indicates the effectiveness of electromechanical energy conversion for a specified vibration mode.

Commonly Referenced Piezoelectric Coefficients

d₃₃: A longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient associated with response along the polarization direction.
d₃₁: A transverse piezoelectric coefficient describing response perpendicular to the applied electric field or polarization direction.
e₃₁: A transverse piezoelectric stress coefficient commonly considered in piezoelectric thin-film and MEMS device design.
k_t: The electromechanical coupling coefficient associated with thickness-mode operation.

Applications of Piezoelectric Materials

Sensors: Convert pressure, force, acceleration, vibration, or acoustic energy into measurable electrical signals.
Actuators: Convert electrical excitation into controlled mechanical displacement or vibration.
Acoustic Resonators: Used in SAW and BAW devices for RF filtering, frequency control, and communications.
Ultrasonic Transducers: Generate and detect ultrasonic waves for medical imaging, nondestructive testing, and industrial sensing.
MEMS: Piezoelectric thin films can provide sensing and actuation functions in miniaturized electromechanical devices.
Energy Harvesting: Convert mechanical vibration or motion into electrical energy for experimental low-power systems.

What Are Piezoelectric Materials?

Piezoelectric materials are materials that develop an electrical polarization when mechanical stress is applied. This phenomenon is known as the direct piezoelectric effect.

These materials can also exhibit the reverse behavior: when an electric field is applied, they deform mechanically. This is known as the converse piezoelectric effect.

Because they can convert mechanical and electrical energy in both directions, piezoelectric materials are widely used in sensors, actuators, acoustic devices, resonators, MEMS, medical ultrasound, RF components, and energy-harvesting research.

Piezoelectric substrate applications including sensors, actuators, acoustic resonators, MEMS, ultrasonic devices, RF wireless systems, energy harvesting, photonics and scientific research

How Does the Piezoelectric Effect Work?

In a piezoelectric crystal, the arrangement of positive and negative charges is affected by mechanical deformation. When the material is compressed, stretched, or otherwise stressed, the internal charge distribution changes and can produce a measurable electrical response.

The opposite process also occurs. An applied electric field can cause the crystal lattice to shift slightly, producing controlled mechanical strain. This property is especially useful in precision actuators, acoustic transducers, resonators, and microelectromechanical systems.

Piezoelectric material generating electrical charge when mechanical stress is applied

Types of Piezoelectric Materials

Piezoelectric behavior can be found in several classes of materials, including natural crystals, engineered ceramics, single-crystal materials, thin films, and polymers.

Single-Crystal Piezoelectric Materials

Single-crystal materials such as quartz, lithium niobate, and lithium tantalate are widely used when crystal orientation, frequency stability, optical properties, or acoustic performance are important.

Piezoelectric Ceramics

Piezoelectric ceramics such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and barium titanate can provide strong electromechanical response and are widely used in actuators, sensors, ultrasonic transducers, and other electromechanical devices.

Piezoelectric Thin Films

Thin-film piezoelectric materials such as aluminum nitride (AlN) and zinc oxide (ZnO) can be integrated with semiconductor substrates for MEMS, RF filters, resonators, sensors, and microscale electromechanical devices.

How to Choose a Piezoelectric Material

The best material depends on the device and fabrication process. Important specifications may include:

Piezoelectric coefficient
Electromechanical coupling coefficient
Crystal orientation or cut
Dielectric properties
Operating frequency
Temperature stability
Optical transparency
Acoustic velocity
Film or substrate thickness
Compatibility with semiconductor processing

For thin-film and wafer-based research, substrate diameter, surface finish, orientation, layer thickness, and deposition requirements may also be important.

Piezoelectric Materials for Sensors

Piezoelectric sensors convert mechanical inputs such as force, vibration, acceleration, pressure, or acoustic waves into electrical signals. This makes piezoelectric materials useful in vibration monitoring, microphones, accelerometers, pressure sensors, structural monitoring, and scientific instrumentation.

Piezoelectric Materials for Actuators

In actuator applications, an applied voltage produces a small but controllable dimensional change in the material. This allows piezoelectric actuators to provide precise motion in positioning systems, optical systems, scanning probe microscopy, microfluidics, and MEMS devices.

Piezoelectric Materials for Acoustic and RF Devices

Piezoelectric materials are widely used in acoustic resonators and filters because they can efficiently convert electrical signals into mechanical acoustic waves and back into electrical signals.

Common device architectures include surface acoustic wave (SAW), bulk acoustic wave (BAW), and film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) devices.

Materials such as lithium niobate, lithium tantalate, quartz, and aluminum nitride are frequently studied for these applications.

Piezoelectric Resonator Research

UniversityWafer has received requests from researchers developing advanced piezoelectric resonators and hybrid quantum devices. One project involved a proposed FSAW-type piezoelectric resonator coupled to a transmon qubit using niobium thin films on piezoelectric substrates such as Lithium Niobate .

The requested research involved 4-inch or 6-inch wafers, thin-film niobium deposition, substrate selection, layer thickness, and characterization of film morphology and material properties.

Reference #254571 for specifications and pricing.

Piezoelectric Materials for MEMS

Piezoelectric thin films can be integrated into MEMS devices to provide both sensing and actuation. AlN, ZnO, PZT, and lithium-niobate-based structures are commonly researched for microscale resonators, microphones, ultrasound devices, RF components, and motion sensors.

Piezoelectric Materials for Ultrasonic Devices

Ultrasonic transducers use piezoelectric materials to generate sound waves from electrical signals and to convert returning acoustic waves back into electrical signals. Applications include medical ultrasound, nondestructive testing, distance measurement, flow sensing, and industrial inspection.

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

Piezoelectric materials can also be used to convert ambient vibration or repeated mechanical motion into small amounts of electrical energy. This approach is studied for low-power sensors, wearable systems, structural monitoring, and experimental self-powered electronics.

The amount of usable energy depends on the material, device geometry, vibration frequency, mechanical loading, and power-management circuit.

Piezoelectric Materials for Photonics

Some piezoelectric crystals also possess important optical and electro-optic properties. Lithium niobate, for example, is widely used in optical modulators, nonlinear optics, integrated photonics, and acousto-optic devices.

Piezoelectric Substrates for Research

UniversityWafer can help researchers source piezoelectric wafers, crystals, thin-film structures, and compatible semiconductor substrates for device development.

When requesting a quote, provide as much information as possible, including material, diameter, thickness, crystal orientation, surface finish, film thickness, deposition requirements, and quantity.

Related Piezoelectric Materials & Substrate Resources

Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) Wafers – Explore lithium niobate substrates for piezoelectric devices, acoustic resonators, integrated photonics, and optical applications.
Lithium Tantalate (LiTaO3) Wafers – Learn about lithium tantalate substrates used in SAW devices, RF filters, sensors, and electro-optic research.
Single-Crystal Quartz Wafers – Explore piezoelectric quartz substrates for resonators, oscillators, acoustic devices, and sensors.
Aluminum Nitride (AlN) on Silicon – Learn about AlN piezoelectric thin films on silicon for MEMS, RF resonators, sensors, and acoustic devices.
Zinc Oxide (ZnO) – Explore ZnO materials for piezoelectric thin films, sensors, transducers, acoustic devices, and optoelectronics.
MEMS Wafers & Substrates – Explore substrate materials used to fabricate MEMS sensors, actuators, resonators, and microscale devices.
Uses of the Piezoelectric Effect – Learn how the piezoelectric effect is used in sensors, actuators, ultrasound, acoustic devices, and energy harvesting.

Piezoelectric Materials for Research & Production