Product

1-3 Dice & Fill
Composites

We manufacture 1-3 composites using the Dice & Fill method, which is the current industry standard for frequencies above 500kHz. Typical applications include non-destructive testing (NDT), medical ultrasound, flow control and measurement, and NDT phased array transducers.

Setting the industry standard:  
the Dice & Fill method

Smart Material manufactures 1-3 composites using the standard Dice & Fill method. While the Dice & Fill production method is generally more expensive than the Arrange & Fill method for our 1-3 random and regular fiber composites, due to the additional production steps and scalability for volume quantities, it stands out as the industry standard.

1-3 Dice & Fill piezo composites are prepared by dicing a piezo ceramic plate into an orthogonal array and cutting 80-90% of the plate thickness. The pitch (distance between rods) must be very small, typically close to 100µm at 5 MHz resonance frequency to avoid lateral modes and grating lobes.

The kerfs or trenches are filled with epoxy or other polymer material. After the interstitial material has cured, the uncut side of the ceramic is grinded down to the rod structure and the thickness is adjusted to the desired resonance frequency. This results in a regular pixel or rod distribution required for phased array ultrasound transducers.

Smart Material offers a variety of standard epoxy and polyurethane systems for the interstitial material, often referred to as the filler. The available filler materials allow for operating temperatures between 95°C and 135°C. Our machining equipment and capabilities also allow the manufacturing of curved 1-3 Dice & Fill piezo composites as well as complex array structures and interconnects.

1-3 Dice & Fill Composites

Smart Material typically manufactures Dice & Fill standard composites for frequencies between 500kHz and 15MHz with maximum sizes of 75mm by 75mm. Available fill factors range from 25% up to 75% and available PZT materials, for example Navy Type I, Type II (standard), Type III and Type VI (standard). Single crystal materials, i.e. PMN-PT are also available on request.

1-3 Dice & Fill Composite product specifications

Resonance Frequencies	500 kHz – 15 MHz
Fill Factors	25% – 70%
PZT Materials	PZT Navy Type I, II, III, VI Single Crystal PMN-PT
Acoustic Impedance	8.5 MRayl – 26 MRayl
Available Electrodes	CuSn (Copper with Tin flash layer) Au (Gold)
Dimensions	Max. 75mm x 75mm Various round diameters
Coupling Coefficient kt	0.61 – 0.68 (Standard PZT materials) > 0.75 (Single Crystal)
Operational Temperatures	Typical: 95°C 135°C on request
Interstitial Materials	Various Epoxy systems

1-3 Dice & Fill Composite product selections

Resonance Frequencies

Frequency	Pixel Size	Fill Factor	Dimensions (in mm²)
500kHz – 1MHz	400 – 800µm	25% – 75%	max. 75 x 75
1 MHz – 2 MHz	150 – 350µm	25% – 75%	max. 75 x 75
2 MHz – 6 MHz	55 – 200µm	25% – 75%	max. 75 x 75
6 MHz – 8 MHz	75 – 100µm	35% – 65%	max. 35 x 35
8 MHz – 10 MHz	40 – 75µm	50% – 60%	max. 35 x 35
10 MHz – 15 MHz	15 – 35µm	50% – 60%	max. 35 x 35

Frequency Tolerances: ± 10% (typical), ± 5% (on request)

Fill Factors

Fill Factor	Frequency
25% – 70%	500kHz – 6MHz
35% – 65%	6MHz – 8MHz
40% – 65%	8MHz – 10MHz

Fill Factor Tolerances: 5% (typical

PZT Materials

PZT Material	Di-electric Constant	Frequency
PZT Navy Type I, SP4	1200 – 1300	500kHz – 8MHz
PZT Navy Type II, 5A	1850 – 2000	500kHz – 10MHz
PZT Navy Type III, PZT8	~ 1050	500kHz – 8MHz
PZT Navy Type VI, 5H	3200 – 6200	500kHz – 10MHz
Single Crystal PMN-PT	4000 – 7500	2MHz – 10MHz

Acoustic Impedance

Acoustic Impedance (MRayl)	Typical Fill Factor
8.5 MRayl	25%
12 MRayl	35%
17 MRayl	50%
22 MRayl	65%
25 – 26 MRayl	75%

Available Electrodes

Electrode Material	Frequency	Electrode thickness
CuSn	500kHz – 8MHz	~ 1.5µm
Au	4MHz – 10MHz	~ 0.8µm

Dimensions

Max. Dimensions	Frequency
75 mm x 75 mm	500kHz – 6MHz
35 mm x 35 mm	6MHz – 8MHz
30 mm x 30 mm	8MHz – 10MHz

Mechanical Tolerances:
< 6mm ± 0.1mm
< 30mm ± 0.2mm
> 30mm ± 0.3mm

Available Diameters
3.18 mm (0.125″)
5.12 mm (0.202″)
5.18 mm (0.204″)
5.68 mm (0.224″)
6.00 mm (0.236″)
6.50 mm (0.256″)
8.20 mm (0.323″)
9.00 mm (0.354″)
9.50 mm (0.374″)
10.00 mm (0.394″)
10.20 mm (0.402″)
12.00 mm (0.472″)
12.70 mm (0.500″)
14.20 mm (0.559″)
15.90 mm (0.626″)
17.50 mm (0.689″)
18.00 mm (0.709″)
19.05 mm (0.750″)
20.00 mm (0.787″)
24.00 mm (0.945″)
25.40 mm (1.000″)
30.00 mm (1.181″)
35.00 mm (1.378″)
37.7 mm (1.480″)

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+49 351 4977 145

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Additional 1-3 composites types

See more available 1-3 composite products manufactured by Smart Material

1-3 Arrange & Fill
Random Fiber

Using the patented Arrange & Fill method, we produce 1-3 composites using piezo ceramic fibers as active rods, randomly distributed over the composite active area.

1-3 Arrange & Fill
Regular Fiber

Using the patented Arrange & Fill method, we produce 1-3 composites using piezo ceramic fibers as active rods. Regular fiber distribution is achieved by arranging the fibers with fixed spacing.

1-3 Dice & FillComposites

Setting the industry standard: the Dice & Fill method