Abstract Ferroelectric ultrasonic motors produce 50 times the stall torque density of commercially available DC motors. This fact alone drives a vast array of potential applications in portable consumer electronics. Space constraints in these products bar complex linkages and transmission systems.
Environmental constraints require high reliability and rugged packaging.
Portability requirements force battery operation and efficient power electronics. Finally, costs underlie everything. Ferroelectric materials, which exhibit a hysteretic behavior between polarization and electric field, are also electro-optic and highly piezoelectric. Consequently, ferroelectric materials are primary components in devices such as non-volatile memories, displays, power conversion devices and ultrasonic motors, to name a few. Power is acoustically transformed from one voltage and current level to another through a vibrating structure by using the direct and converse piezoelectric effects.