Piezo Ceramic Element

How can I explain this for the non-technical layperson? Let's just say that there are some crystals, found in nature, that display some really beautiful effects, particularly in relationship to electricity. These materials are used today in the manufacture of piezo ceramic element devices - and these devices are the foundation of much of our everyday technology.

Certain crystal materials, it is now known, display what is called the "piezoelectric effect" - if you subject these crystals to an electric charge, they will change their shape. Piezo ceramic elements can be found everywhere. For example, an LCD watch contains liquefied quartz crystals. When an electric charge is applied, they change their shape, and the change in the arrangement can be seen by us in the display of the watch.

Piezo ceramic elements can also be found in a crystal microphone. In this case, the ceramic materials do not respond to an electrical current, but rather generate one - in response to the sound waves, the air pressure will change and 'bends' the crystal just enough to generate a current, which can be transmitted and amplified - and sound information is transmitted.

Piezo ceramic elements are incorporated into the technology that is all around us. If you attend a rock concert, the electric guitars will use a microphone based on this technology. If you have an ultrasound performed in the hospital, that technology is made possible by piezo ceramic elements.

If you are interested in computers, you may be surprised to learn that piezo ceramic elements are used in the hard disk drives. The military, of course, is a big user of piezo ceramic elements. Commercial fishermen use them without knowing it, every time they switch on their sonar, as piezo ceramic elements are commonly used in both military and commercial sonar devices. Ultrasound surgical and dental equipment contain piezo ceramic elements as well -- as well as your LCD alarm clock, electric pilot light for your furnace and outdoor grill, and even certain types of cigarette lighters.

Piezo ceramic elements -- These are the magical crystals that make modern technology possible.