Piezoelectric crystal


 * Reference for term: Musculoskeletal Ultrasound - Holsbeeck Van, M. et al.
 * Technical definition: Part of the transducer which vibrates and produces an ultrasound beam when a voltage is pushed through it and which serves as both transmitter and receiver of the ultrasound beam.
 * Reference for definition: Musculoskeletal Ultrasound - Holsbeeck Van, M. et al.
 * Comment: Piezoelectric crystals have unique physical and electrical properties and were discovered by Pierre and Jacques Curie in 1880. The original materials described by the Curies were quartz and Rochelle salts, but these have been replaced by lead zirconate titanate in modern medical imaging.