Fabrication of Lead Zirconate Titanate Microrods for 1–3 Piezocomposites Using Hot Isostatic Pressing with Silicon Molds

A new lost-mold process to fabricate piezoceramic microrods for 1–3 piezocomposites has been developed. A Si wafer was machined as a mold with a regular array of columnar cavities having a negative structure of piezoceramic microrods, by deep reactive ion etching (RIE). A lead zirconate titanate (PZT) slurry was cast into the Si mold and calcinated to burn out the binder, and fully condensed in the cavities by the glass-encapsulated hot isostatic pressing technique. Finally, the Si mold was selectively removed by XeF2 etching. PZT microrods with high aspect ratios (diameter 14), which can be used to construct high-resolution micro-ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging, were fabricated successfully by the present process.