Investigating the frequency spectrum of mechanical quality factor for piezoelectric materials based on phenomenological model

Heat generation due to losses restricts piezoelectric materials from maintaining a high power density, which will further limit the miniaturization of piezoelectric devices. As an evaluation index of the loss level, the mechanical quality factor shows an opposite tendency with losses. The mechanical quality factor should therefore be evaluated. By new methods to determine the mechanical quality factor, the highest mechanical quality factor has been discovered within the working bandwidth other than the resonance and antiresonance frequencies, which is almost double the value at the resonance. In this study, the prime determinant of the maximum value has been experimentally investigated on the basis of the phenomenological model of the admittance phase. The investigation experimentally infers that the change in the tendency of the phase leads to the appearance of the maximum value. Thus, the new phenomenon is experimentally explained for the first time.