Acoustical Sensitivity and Linearity of an Air-Coupled 3D-Printed Ferroelectret Ultrasonic Receiver

3D-printed ferroelectret transducers, utilizing poly-lactic acid (PLA), present an eco-friendly alternative to ceramic-based transducers, which predominantly employ lead zirconate titanate (PZT). We demonstrate using 3D-printed ferroelectret ultrasonic transducers made from PLA featuring well-define...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Suppelt, Sven, Altmann, Alexander A., Schaumann, Stephan, Demuth, Nils, Muller, Marc, Jazdzewski, Luise E., Gomez Alvarez-Arenas, Tomas E., Bretthauer, Christian, Bittner, Achim, Kupnik, Mario
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
3D-printed
Acoustics
eco-friendly
Electrostatics
Ferroelectret
Lead zirconate titanate
Linearity
Piezoelectric devices
Receivers
Sensitivity
transducer
Transducers
ultrasonic receiver
Ultrasonic transducers
Ultrasonic variables measurement
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Summary:3D-printed ferroelectret transducers, utilizing poly-lactic acid (PLA), present an eco-friendly alternative to ceramic-based transducers, which predominantly employ lead zirconate titanate (PZT). We demonstrate using 3D-printed ferroelectret ultrasonic transducers made from PLA featuring well-defined cavities as a sound receiver by developing a simple amplifier circuit and measure the resulting linearity and sensitivity. The quasi-permanently trapped surface charges inside the air cavities of the ferroelectret ultrasonic transducer serve as an electrical bias, resulting in a mechanical pre-stress due to the electrostatic force. The amplifier for the microphone does not need to provide a DC-Bias and is based on a charge amplifier with a flat amplification curve between 20 kHz and 80 kHz. We test the receiver in an anechoic chamber at a distance of 30 cm. We excite with a broadband electrostatic transducer over different frequencies and sound pressures. The receiver exhibits a linear relationship between output voltage and sound pressure, with a mean square error of 102.14 mV 2 at 50 kHz. The sensitivity varies with frequency, peaking at 29 kHz with -25 dB/VPa and has a 6 dB-bandwidth of 32 kHz. These results underscore the potential of easily manufacturable and adaptable ferroelectret transducers as viable, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional piezoelectric devices.
ISSN:2375-0448
DOI:10.1109/UFFC-JS60046.2024.10793522