Precise X-ray determination of small homogeneous strains applied to the direct measurement of piezoelectric constants

Abstract

A double-crystal X-ray spectrometer has been used to measure the small homogeneous strain generated in a piezoelectric crystal under dc field. As a test of the method, d₁₁ has been measured for x-cut crystals of α-quartz and yields the value 6.94× 10^-12m/V in good agreement with earlier indirect determinations. The principal advantage of the method is that it may be applied to very small samples, so that a characterization of the piezoelectric behavior of a new material may be achieved before larger, more perfectly developed crystals required for conventional methods have been grown.