Crystalising a sovereign capability in piezoelectric materials

Single crystal piezoelectric materials are orders of magnitude more sensitive than their polycrystalline equivalent, which is an important material characteristic for sonars and other applications. For this reason, the Australian Defence Force requires access to these advanced materials to maintain operational superiority in both remote undersea surveillance as well as other Defence domains such as sensors for aerospace platforms.

DMTC, in collaboration with DSTG’s NGTF Program, has established the Advanced Piezoelectric Materials and Applications (APMA) Program. Defence, industry and research partners in the program have been investing in single crystal piezoelectric material development for more than a decade. The program brings together all of these elements through an overarching framework that is coordinating collaborative activities.

The APMA Program has established a series of foundational projects that extend along the entire pipeline from education and training to research and development and industrial capability, including making strategic investments in industrial-scale foundry facilities and research infrastructure.

The APMA Program is providing Australia with a capability to design and fabricate piezoelectrics for sonars, supported by a world-leading research and innovation ecosystem. This includes industrial scale production through Thales Australia, single crystal growth techniques through ANSTO and the University of Wollongong, material characterisation and performance through UNSW Sydney, the University of Sydney and the Australian National University and the application of piezoelectric materials to sensors and energy harvesting through Monash University and RMIT.

Collaboration between, and integration of, these intersecting APMA Program elements will be key to realising the long-term vision to establish a strategic national capability in the supply of advanced piezoelectric materials. The future outlook now turns to the application of single crystal piezoelectric materials in next generation sonar technologies for Undersea Warfare (USW) applications and ultimately in the hands of Royal Australian Navy sailors.

Workshops have been held with Defence representatives, industry and research partners to map requirements for the application of single crystal piezoelectric materials for future Defence applications.