High temperature characterization of PZT(0.52/0.48) thin-film pressure sensors

This paper reports the characterization and real-time testing of thin-film Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 ) (PZT) micro diaphragm pressure sensor at high temperature (up to 390 °C) and high pressure (up to 105 kPa) conditions. Firstly, the influence of thermal stress on micro diaphragm deformation is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Secondly, the effect of rhombohedral–tetragonal, tetragonal–cubic phase transitions and lattice parameter changes of the PZT composite on the resonance frequency are studied. Thirdly, a good performance of the proposed sensor at low-frequency oscillatory flow generated by a vibrating sphere source (frequency of 35 Hz) in silicone oil bath at different temperatures is reported. The observations lead to the conclusion that despite the fluctuations on resonant frequency with increasing temperature, the proposed PZT sensor can be effectively used in high temperature/pressure applications.