A micromirror array comprises a substrate, a plurality of mirrors for reflecting incident light and, for each mirror of the plurality of mirrors, at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator for displacing the mirror, wherein the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator is connected to the substrate, and wherein the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator comprises a plurality of piezoelectric layers of piezoelectric material interleaved with a plurality of electrode layers to form a stack of layers. Also disclosed is a method of forming such a micromirror array. The micromirror array may be used in a programmable illuminator. The programmable illuminator may be used in a lithographic apparatus and/or in an inspection and/or metrology apparatus.

An experimentation apparatus tests for heat produced by cavitation. The experimentation apparatus includes a heating chamber, a quantity of heavy water, a piezo-disk antenna, a target foil, a transmission line, a signal generator, a control unit, and at least one sensor. The heavy water is retained within the heating chamber and is agitated by the piezo-disk antenna to form cavitation bubbles. These cavitation bubbles impact the target foil in order to potentially produce deuteron combination events that could consequently produce heat. The signal generator sends an electrical signal along a transmission line to the piezo-disk antenna in order to dictate how the piezo-disk antenna vibrates within the heavy water. The control unit is used to manage the operational functionalities of the experimentation apparatus such as instructing the signal generator to adjust the frequency of the electrical signal. The at least one sensor collects experimentation data within the heating chamber.

Described herein is the use of large phase transformational strain in relaxor ferroelectric single crystals for broadband sound generation. The technique exploits the thermo-optical triggering and thus an opto-acoustic effect of ferroelectric phase transformation piezocrystals under mechanical bias conditions.

Provided is a vibration actuator including: a vibrator including an elastic body and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element; a contact body provided so as to be brought into contact with the vibrator; a flexible printed board configured to feed power to the electro-mechanical energy conversion element; and a temperature detection unit provided on a region of the flexible printed board, in which the flexible printed board and the electro-mechanical conversion element overlap each other.

A haptic feedback device includes a mechanical ground and a haptic surface. A plurality of connection points is connected to the mechanical ground and a plurality of connection points is connected to the haptic surface. An electroreactive wire extends around the plurality of connection point connected to the mechanical ground and the plurality of connection points connected to the haptic surface.

A piezoelectric motor may include a stator, a rotor rotating about a rotational axis and at least one piezoelectric element driving the rotor and maintained by the stator. Mechanical reliability and performance levels of a piezoelectric motor may be increased in that the at least one piezoelectric element may be mounted in an oscillating housing that oscillates with respect to the stator about the pivot axis.

A regenerative drive system for generating a rotary movement, which is in the form of a direct hub drive and includes an electric machine that works on the piezoelectric principle, more particularly in the form of a swash plate motor is provided. The drive system can be fitted in vehicles such as box trucks, truck tractors and trailer vehicles.

An ultrasonic motor includes an actuator with a piezo-electric plate, at least one friction element, an element to be driven in active contact with the friction element, a tensioning device for pressing the friction element against the element to be driven, and a thermo-compensation platform having abutting sections by which displacement of the actuator is only possible along abutting side surfaces of the piezo-electric plate. The tensioning device includes two rotation angle levers of which two tension lever arms are connected to one another via a tensioned tension spring, to exert torque on the rotation angle lever such that pressure lever arms will act on the actuator to be linearly guided by the abutting sections in the direction of the element to be driven.

Described herein is the use of large phase transformational strain in relaxor ferroelectric single crystals for broadband sound generation. The technique exploits the thermo-optical triggering and thus an opto-acoustic effect of ferroelectric phase transformation piezocrystals under mechanical bias conditions.

A regenerative drive system for generating a rotary movement, which is in the form of a direct hub drive and includes an electric machine that works on the piezoelectric principle, more particularly in the form of a swash plate motor is provided. The drive system can be fitted in vehicles such as box trucks, truck tractors and trailer vehicles.