Bulk and multilayer

Bulk/ monolayer and multilayer are the two main methods of manufacturing massive piezoelectric components.

A bulk component is a single block of piezoelectric material with electrodes on top and bottom. These are produced by Noliac Ceramics.

A multilayer component is composed of several layers of piezoelectric material, alternating with internal electrodes. Internal electrodes are successively positive and negative. All positive electrodes are connected together by one external electrode on one side of the component; negative electrodes are connected on the other side of the component. These are produced by Noliac Motion.

The main differences between these two methods are (for similar dimensions):
 

• Bulk components are easier to manufacture 
• Multilayer components can be operated under higher electrical field, thus leading to larger static displacement 
• Multilayer components can be operated under a lower voltage 
• Bulk components have a lower capacitance 
• Multilayer components are more resistant to humidity thanks to their embedded electrodes 
• Multilayer components can be customised with complex electrode designs and multiple functions in the same component 
• Some materials cannot be processed for multilayer components.

Manufacturing of piezoelectric multilayer components