NiTi/Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 thin film heterostructures for vibration damping in MEMS

We report on the damping properties of NiTi/Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) heterostructures using nanoindentation technique. Creep and impact tests were performed to obtain hardness (H), elastic modulus (Er), damping factor (tan δ) and figure of merit (FOM. A hold time of 30 s during creep test shows significant improvement in damping factor for NiTi/PZT (0.046) and CrTiN/NiTi/PZT (0.050). Impact test demonstrates highest damping capacity with lowest coefficient of restitution (0.30) in CrTiN/NiTi/PZT. Higher hardness (19.8 GPa) and excellent figure of merit (0.751) in CrTiN/NiTi/PZT makes them very attractive damping material for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).