Highly transparent lead-free piezoelectric haptic device

Abstract Acoustic haptic technology adds touch sensations to human-machine interfaces by integrating piezoelectric actuators onto touchscreens. Traditional piezoelectric haptic technologies use opaque lead-containing ceramics that are both toxic and visible. We have developed a highly transparent le...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Longfei Song, Sebastjan Glinsek, Nagamalleswara Rao Alluri, Veronika Kovacova, Michele Melchiorr, Alfredo Blazquez Martinez, Barnik Mandal, Juliette Cardoletti, Emmanuel Defay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Communications Materials
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00817-z
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Summary:Abstract Acoustic haptic technology adds touch sensations to human-machine interfaces by integrating piezoelectric actuators onto touchscreens. Traditional piezoelectric haptic technologies use opaque lead-containing ceramics that are both toxic and visible. We have developed a highly transparent lead-free piezoelectric haptic device using potassium sodium niobate (KNN) and transparent conductive oxide thin films. The KNN film, grown on glass, exhibits a pure perovskite phase and a dense microstructure. This device achieves up to 80% transmittance, surpassing lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. It generates an acoustic resonance at 16.5 kHz and produces a peak-to-peak displacement of 1.0 µm at 28 V unipolar, making it suitable for surface rendering applications. This demonstrates the potential of transparent lead-free piezoelectric actuators as an effective alternative to conventional PZT haptic actuators.
ISSN:2662-4443