FEM Analysis of the Effect of Polarization on the Electromechanical Coupling Factor of Resonators with a Wrap-Around Electrode

The efficiency of electromechanical conversion in piezoelectric elements is assessed according to the magnitude of the electromechanical coupling coefficient. For power applications of piezoelectric elements, it is desirable that the efficiency of electrical to mechanical energy conversion be as high as possible. In case of resonators with electrodes incompletely covering their bases, an inhomogeneous electric field is generated, which results in inhomogeneous polarization of the resonator. The resonator will be polarized in some places either in a direction other than the desired one or not polarized at all. The degree of polarization of the resonator is one of the factors affecting the electromechanical coupling coefficient. The aim of this work is to analyze the magnitude of the electromechanical coupling coefficient of resonators with electrodes incompletely covering the bases and to compare the results with the electromechanical coupling coefficient of resonators with fully electroded bases. The physical description is given by the linear piezoelectric equations, the Gaussian equation for the electric field, and by Newton’s law of force. On this basis, a FEM model is developed and used to analyze the electromechanical coupling coefficient. The result of the calculation of the electromechanical coupling cofficient is that for resonators with a wrap-around electrode in studied shape and dimensions there will be a decrease in the electromechanical coupling coefficient compared to a fully electroded resonator of identical dimensions. The presented conclusions are compared with analytically and experimentaly achieved results.