Single Crystals

Two CTS single crystal products on white background

CTS Corporation is the world's largest, fully integrated developer and manufacturer of piezoelectric single crystals, specializing in PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT materials. With superior coupling factors and piezoelectric charge coefficients, our piezoelectric single crystal components are the ideal choice for applications that require the highest levels of sensitivity attainable. Thanks to their unparalleled energy density and conversion rate, piezoelectric single crystals often allow for more compact and energy-efficient product designs with fewer and smaller components.

CTS piezoelectric single crystal components are utilized in markets and applications such as:

Medical Ultrasound Imaging
Underwater Acoustics
Portable Ultrasound Devices
Energy Harvesting
Low-Power Actuation
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

Single Crystal Component Geometries

CTS piezoelectric single crystal components come in all standard geometries and dimensions, tailored to your exact performance requirements. Below, you can see the range of component geometries available in production quantities. We can also accommodate unique requests that fall outside of the standard range of specifications. Explore our capabilities below, and feel free to contact our single crystal experts for further inquiries.

Plates, Wafers and Bars

The rectangular shape of piezoelectric single crystal plates, wafers and bars offers great versatility in terms of production, integration and application. Advantages of these components include uniform properties for consistent performance across the surface, uniform stress distribution for improved durability and precise frequency control. Single crystal plates are often the piezoelectric component of choice in high-performance medical ultrasound imaging, granting improved image quality and enabling 3D and 4D imaging.

Plates, Wafers and Bars

Composites and High-Frequency Composites

Single crystal composites combine the high piezoelectric performance of PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT crystals with the design flexibility of more pliable materials. By integrating blocks of single crystals in for instance a polymer resin, the end composite product will inherent both strong piezoelectric properties and mechanical flexibility. Composite processing allows for suppression of lateral modes and offers improved acoustic and electrical impedance matching. High-frequency composites are commonly used in intra-vascular ultrasound applications (IVUS).

Composites and High-Frequency Composites

Discs, Rings and Rods

The radial symmetry of single crystal discs, rings and rods offers more uniform stress distribution and can efficiently facilitate transduction of acoustic waves. With their central aperture, single crystal rings can be applied in optical technology or as stacks in compact active sonar transducers.

Discs, Rings and Rods

Shear Plates

Piezoelectric single crystal shear plates make use of the d₁₅ or d₃₆ (shear face) piezoelectric coefficients for stellar performance. The shear deformation is very useful in precision positioning, allowing for fine control and precise lateral movement, but is also often utilized in underwater applications. In addition, acoustic shear waves also propagate more slowly than longitudinal waves, making them effective for surface inspection in non-destructive testing applications.

Shear Plates

Single Crystal Material Properties

CTS has developed a range of highly optimized piezoelectric single crystal materials, specializing in PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT crystals. Here, you can view and compare the properties of our materials to identify which is better suited for you application.

Single Crystal Material Properties

CTS engineer looking at product

Partner with a Piezoelectric Specialist

CTS can help decide on material properties to deliver products that meet the unique requirements of your project. Work with a technical expert to begin your design today.

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