Hitachi Cable Develops Commercial Quality Pb Free Piezoelectric Film

Hitachi Cable announced on Monday the firm developed commercial quality lead free piezoelectric film for the first time in the world. The firm tries to ship the sample in fiscal 2012 starting April 2011. After the commercial order, the firm targets mass production of the fill in fiscal 2012 for various applications including sensors and ink jet printer, ultra small mirror for projector and small vibrational power generator.

The film can convert pressure into voltage and voltage into pressure. The firm succeeded to develop the quality by making thin kalium-natrium-niobium oxide film with 3 micrometers on silicon substrate with 100 millimeters diameter. With original technology by Hitachi Cable, the film recorded more than 100 pico meters per a volt of piezoelectric constant.

Traditional piezoelectric film is made by lead zilconate titanate. The users seek lead free film but film providers fail to make lead free film with enough piezoelectric constant. Hitachi Cable selected kalium-natrium-niobium oxide with high performance in piezoelectric and optimized the film making condition to realize the enough piezoelectric constant.

The firm is confident for the mass production through sputtering method of making film process. The firm succeeded to make the film on substrate with 100 millimeters diameter.