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. 2018 Oct 16;11(10):2000.
doi: 10.3390/ma11102000.

Electric Current Dependent Fracture in GaN Piezoelectric Semiconductor Ceramics

Guoshuai Qin  1 , Chunsheng Lu  2 , Xin Zhang  3 , Minghao Zhao  4   5   6
Affiliations

Electric Current Dependent Fracture in GaN Piezoelectric Semiconductor Ceramics

Guoshuai Qin et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

In this paper, the fracture behavior of GaN piezoelectric semiconductor ceramics was investigated under combined mechanical and electric loading by using three-point bending tests and numerical analysis. The experimental results demonstrate that, in contrast to traditional insulating piezoelectric ceramics, electric current is a key factor in affecting the fracture characteristics of GaN ceramics. The stress, electric displacement, and electric current intensity factors were numerically calculated and then a set of empirical formulae was obtained. By fitting the experimental data, a fracture criterion under combined mechanical and electrical loading was obtained in the form of an ellipsoid function of intensity factors. Such a fracture criterion can be extended to predict the failure behavior of other piezoelectric semiconductors or devices with a crack, which are useful in their reliability design and applications.

Keywords: GaN piezoelectric semiconductor ceramics; fracture criterion; intensity factor; mechanical-electrical loading.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
X-ray diffraction pattern of a polarized GaN sample.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A standard three-point bending specimen for fracture test.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Schematic representation of an experimental configuration and (b) an actual coupling experimental loading structure.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) The finite element mesh for a PSCs specimen and (b) its locally refined meshes at the crack tip.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Normalized intensity factors versus loads under (a) the mechanical loading, (b) the electric field, and (c) the electric current density.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The fitted empirical formulae of the intensity factors of GaN PSCs, (a) stress intensity factor, (b) electric displacement intensity factor and (c) electric current intensity factor.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) Critical mechanical load versus the length of a pre-crack under a pure mechanical load and (b) the critical stress intensity factors of GaN PSCs.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The relationship of KIC with the applied electric current density.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The probability density of KIC under (a) the pure mechanical loading and (b) the combined electrical and mechanical loading (1.63 × 104 A m−2).
Figure 9
Figure 9
The probability density of KIC under (a) the pure mechanical loading and (b) the combined electrical and mechanical loading (1.63 × 104 A m−2).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Experimental and fitting results for failure of PSCs specimens with a single-edge crack under combined mechanical and negative electrical loading.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Specimens in fracture testing (a) without an applied electric current and (b) under the combined electrical and mechanical loading (1.63 × 104 A m−2).
Figure 12
Figure 12
The electric current density distribution in the extension of a crack tip (see Figure 2) and the corresponding nephogram near the crack tip.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Fracture morphologies under (a) the pure mechanical loading and (b) the combined electrical and mechanical loading.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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