ISSN 1063-7710, Acoustical Physics, 2009, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 143145. Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2009.

Original Russian Text V.M. Sarnatskii, A.I. Nedbai, V.V. Sarnatskii, 2009, published in Akusticheski Zhurnal, 2009, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 129131.

PHYSICAL FOUNDATIONS
OF ENGINEERING ACOUSTICS

High-Frequency Broadband Transducers

of Ultrasonic Oscillations
V. M. Sarnatskiia, A. I. Nedbaia, and V. V. Sarnatskiib
a

Fok Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, St. Petersburg State University,

ul. Ulyanovskaya 1, Petrodvorets, St. Petersburg, 198504 Russia
b OOO Polifon, Petrodvorets, St. Petersburg, 198504 Russia
e-mail: sarnatsky42@mail.ru
Received October 4, 2007

AbstractThe amplitudefrequency responses (AFRs) of ultrasonic oscillation transducers based on piezoelectric lithium iodate crystals of hexagonal modification and on magnetic soft ferrite powders are experimentally studied. The possibility to control the efficiency of magnetostriction powder transducers (MPTs) by variation in the value and orientation of the external magnetic field is shown. Results of measurements of the transformation efficiency for ferrites of various chemical compositions are presented.
PACS numbers: 43.38.Fx; 43.35.Rw
DOI: 10.1134/S1063771009010175

At present, there is a tendency to increase the operating frequencies of ultrasonic flaw detectors and to
broaden their passbands. A broad passband with corresponding short duration of transient processes at a sufficient level of the transfer factor leads to minimum
shape distortions in the emitted and received acoustic
pulses, to a decrease in the blind spot of the transducer,
to an increase in the resolution power of the flaw detector, and to an increase in the accuracy of determination
of flaw coordinates. Two basic methods for preparation
of broadband piezoelectric transducers are known:
1. Mechanical or electric damping of a half-wave
piezoelectric element at its optimum matching with
medium through a quarter-wave transmitting layer. The
disadvantage of this method is the significant decrease
in sensitivity of the transducer [12].
2. Application of transducers with inhomogeneous
exciting electric field, which is achieved by creation of
a changing profile of one of the surfaces of the piezoelectric element [3]. The technology of preparation of
these transducers is rather sophisticated; they are characterized by a high level of spurious oscillation modes,
which distort the direction pattern and hinder the ultrasonic detection.
The necessity for development of broadband ultrasonic transducers is attributed to the emerging opportunity to increase the accuracy of measurements of the
acoustic parameters of a substance and to design an
acoustic spectrum analyzer in a broad frequency range
not involving exchange of transducer. Application of
broadband transducers in ultrasonic flaw detectors and
acoustic microscopes allows flaw zooming.

We have developed two types of high-frequency

broadband transducers: one based on the piezoelectric
effect and the other based on application of high-frequency magnetic soft ferrites.
Among the piezoelectric crystals widely applied in
science and engineering, crystals of quartz, lithium niobate, and lithium iodate are best known [4]. Crystals of
lithium iodate of hexagonal modification hold a particular position among the mentioned materials. They are
characterized by a unique combination of acoustic,
optic, and piezoelectric properties; however, the physical parameters responsible for these properties may be
determined, to a considerable extent, by the conditions
of obtaining the crystalsgrowth temperature, degree
of purity of initial substance, and pH of solution. Variation in the solution pH from 11 to 2 leads to a significant increase in the ultrasound attenuation coefficient
due to ionacoustic interaction [57]. We have found a
correlation between the ultrasound attenuation coefficient and the value of the operating frequency band,
wherein efficient transformation of ultrasound takes
place. Thus, in lithium iodate crystals grown under certain conditions, an internal damping appears; this leads
to a rather large band of operating frequencies with
retention of the high efficiency of transformation. It
should be noted that, in comparison with lithium niobate crystals, the lithium iodate crystals are characterized by higher symmetry and a smaller set of piezoelectric moduli; this results in significantly lower
probability of excitation of extraneous oscillation
modes and in an increase in the operating detection
zone of the ultrasonic flaw detector. The amplitude
frequency responses (AFRs) of the transducers were

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SARNATSKII et al.

Signal amplitude, rel. units

180

A, rel. units
4.0

160

3.5

140

3.0

120

2.5

100

2.0

80

1.5

60
40

1.0

20

0.5

15

20

25

30

35

40

45 50 55
Frequency, MHz

Fig. 1. AFR of the transducer based on lithium iodate crystal (the crystal was obtained from a solution with pH = 5).

measured by means of the X149 device with application of a frequency deviation of 3 MHz and transmission of the frequency spectrum from 10 to 50 MHz.
Figure 1 depicts the AFR of the transducer based on
lithium iodate crystals obtained from a solution with
pH = 5. One can see from Fig. 1 that within 6 dB, the
operating frequency band of this transducer is 25 MHz at
a mean frequency of 35 MHz. The stability of the characteristics of the piezoelectric transducers made by us
with application of lithium iodate crystals over a period
of years and their survival even after heat cycling in a
temperature range of 80400 K should be mentioned.
The high conductivity of widely known ferromagnetic materials (cobalt, nickel, and alloys on their basis)
restricts the frequency range of their application as
ultrasonic radiators and detectors by frequencies up to
100 kHz [8].
Ferrites and garnets are characterized by high electric resistivity and low magnetic losses up to some hundreds of MHz; thus, they are promising materials for
the design of ultrasonic transmittingreceiving transducers in a frequency range of 10100 MHz. Earlier, in
papers [910], we have shown a possibility to excite
and register high-frequency ultrasonic oscillations by
virtue of ferrite powders placed into a superposition of
variable and constant magnetic field. It was found
herein that the parallel orientation of applied fields
leads to efficient excitation of the longitudinal acoustic
wave; the perpendicular orientation leads to a shear
wave with a polarization vector coinciding with the
constant magnetic field direction. It was experimentally
found that the maximum of radiation and registration of
ultrasound by a magnetostriction powder transducer
(MPT) is observed at the frequency f = v/2d, where v is
the velocity of propagation of the ultrasonic wave of
respective polarization and d is the mean size of parti-

2.5

5.0

7.5

10.0

12.5 15.0
H, kA/m

Fig. 2. Field dependence of efficiency of excitation of the

shear ultrasonic wave of the MPT with application of powders of different magnetostrictive materials.
YIG with
cobalt impurity; pure magnetite; MZS with cobalt
impurity; magnetite with chromium impurity.

cles. Herein, the relative half-width f/f of the transducer AFR practically coincides with the particle dispersion in size. The values of velocity of propagation of
ultrasonic waves of different polarizations are taken
from literature sources [1113] for estimation of frequencies of the effective ultrasound excitation at specified size of particles. The proposed transducer is
designed as an acoustic transmission line of the cylindrical form with a diameter of 25 mm and length of 50
mm; magnetic particles are fixed on its face plane by
virtue of acoustic fastening. In our experiments the
mean particle size was selected to be 40400 m; this
corresponds to setting of a mechanical resonance of the
longitudinal or shear oscillation mode for a frequency
range of ultrasound excitation and registration of 5
50 MHz. Efficiency of the transducer operation was
estimated by the value of the amplitude A of the first
acoustic pulse registered on the opposite face plane of
the acoustic transmission line by piezoelectric transducers of the respective edge. Figure 2 illustrates the
dependence of the MPT transformation efficiency on
the chemical composition of the particles and value of
the external magnetic field. Yttriumiron garnet (YIG),
manganesezinc spinel (MZS), and magnetite Fe3O4
with cobalt and chromium impurity were used as magnetostrictive materials. As one can see from Fig. 2, the
highest transformation efficiency is characteristic of the
MPTs based on magnetite powder with chromium ion
impurity. By selection of the percentage of particles of
different sizes, flatness of the AFR within 6 dB in a frequency range of 1050 MHz was obtained on the face
plane surface of the acoustic transmission line. Losses
due to double transformation of the MPT are greater by
an order of magnitude than the extensively used piezoACOUSTICAL PHYSICS

Vol. 55

No. 1

2009

HIGH-FREQUENCY BROADBAND TRANSDUCERS OF ULTRASONIC OSCILLATIONS

electric transducers; however, this disadvantage is compensated by the following advantages:

(a) the researcher can change the transformation
efficiency and radiated wave polarization by variation
in the value and direction of the magnetic bias field;
(b) application of significant dispersion of magnetic
particles in size allows obtaining of a transducer with
set AFR;
(c) there is a possibility of simultaneous excitation
of longitudinal and shear ultrasonic oscillations and
their separation upon detection by variation in the angle
between the variable and constant components of the
magnetic field.
The developed transducers will give a possibility to
carry out ultrasonic detection of materials and products
in a broad frequency range; this will allow increasing
the resolution power of flaw detection in products,
decreasing the number of applied transducers by several times, and lowering the costs of production of
ultrasonic flaw detectors.
This work was supported by the Foundation for
Extension of Small-Scale Enterprises in Science and
Engineering (Government contract no. 4967r/7193).
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