A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body, an external electrode, and an internal electrode. The internal electrode includes first and second internal conductors opposing each other. The first internal conductor includes first and second conductor portions continuous with each other. The second internal conductor includes a third conductor portion opposing the first conductor portion in a direction where the first and second internal conductors oppose each other, and a fourth conductor portion including a first region connected to the second conductor portion, and a second region continuous with the first region and continuous with the third conductor portion. The piezoelectric body includes a body portion located between the first and the second internal conductors, and formed with a through hole penetrating the body portion in the direction. The fourth conductor portion is located in the through hole and has a thickness increasing toward a center line of the through hole.

A film structure (10) includes a substrate (11), a piezoelectric film (14) formed on the substrate (11) and containing first composite oxide represented by a composition formula Pb(Zr.sub.1-xTi.sub.x)O.sub.3, and a piezoelectric film (15) formed on the piezoelectric film (14) and containing second composite oxide represented by a composition formula Pb(Zr.sub.1-yTi.sub.y)O.sub.3. In the composition formulae, x satisfies 0.10<x≤0.20, and y satisfies 0.35≤y≤0.55. The piezoelectric film (14) has tensile stress, and the piezoelectric film (15) has compressive stress.

A piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric element layered in a pillar shape, and electrode plates located on side surfaces of the piezoelectric element and electrically connected to internal electrode layers of the piezoelectric element. Each of the electrode plates includes a body portion extending in a layering direction of the piezoelectric element and a lead portion that extends in a direction intersecting the layering direction and is electrically connected to a lead terminal. The lead portion includes, in at least one side portion, a recessed portion recessed in a width direction of the lead portion.

The present disclosure provides a drive device and an acoustic output device including the drive device. The drive device comprises one or more drive units, each drive unit having a beam-like structure, the beam-like structure including a vibration output end and a fixed end and extending from the fixed end toward the vibration output end. Each drive unit includes: a piezoelectric layer configured to cause the drive unit to output a vibration from the vibration output end in response to an electrical signal; and a reinforcement layer, wherein the reinforcement layer includes one or more reinforcement components arranged in an extension direction of the beam-like structure, at least one reinforcement component of the one or more reinforcement components being arranged close to the vibration output end and having a dimension not exceeding one-half of a distance from the vibration output end to the fixed end in the extension direction.

A method for manufacturing a hybrid structure comprising an effective layer of piezoelectric material having an effective thickness and disposed on a supporting substrate having a substrate thickness and a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of the effective layer includes: a) a step of providing a bonded structure comprising a piezoelectric material donor substrate and the supporting substrate, b) a first step of thinning the donor substrate to form a thinned layer having an intermediate thickness and disposed on the supporting substrate, the assembly forming a thinned structure; c) a step of heat treating the thinned structure at an annealing temperature; and d) a second step, after step c), of thinning the thinned layer to form the effective layer. The method also comprises, prior to step b), a step a′) of determining a range of intermediate thicknesses that prevent the thinned structure from being damaged during step c).

[Object] An actuator includes an actuator body that includes a first surface and a second surface that face each other; a first constraining member that is provided on the first surface, and constrains the first surface from expanding and contracting; and a second constraining member that is provided on the second surface, and constrains the second surface from expanding and contracting. The actuator body includes a first electrode, a second electrode that faces the first electrode, and an elastomer layer that is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode is a pattern electrode. The first constraining member and the second constraining member are provided correspondingly to the first electrode.

Disclosed herein are monitoring systems and sensors for physiological measurements. The sensors can be multi-element piezo sensors capable of generating multiple electrical signals, whereby the monitoring systems can receive the multiple electrical signals to analyze the user's vital signs along multiple regions of the user's body. In some examples, the piezo sensor can include one or more corrugations, such as peaks and valleys, to create localized regions with increased mechanical response to force. The sensitivity and resolution of the piezo sensor can be enhanced by further locating electrode sections at the corrugations, where the electrode sections can be electrically isolated and independently operable from other electrode sections. Traces electrically connecting an electrode section to, e.g., an off-panel controller can be routed over and/or around other electrode sections by including an insulator to electrically insulate from the other electrode sections, or by using vias to route through one or more layers.

A piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam system includes a shim having a first main surface, a second main surface opposite the first main surface, a proximal end connected to an anchor, and a distal end opposite the proximal end. The system further includes a first piezoelectric layer laminated on the first main surface of the shim and a second piezoelectric layer laminated on the second main surface of the shim. A first beam stiffener is provided over the first main surface of the shim adjacent to the anchor with the first beam stiffener at least partially covering the first piezoelectric layer. A second beam stiffener is provided over the second main surface of the shim adjacent to the anchor with the second beam stiffener at least partially covering the second piezoelectric layer.

A piezoelectric microelectromechanical system microphone comprises a piezoelectric element configured to deform and generate an electrical potential responsive to impingement of sound waves on the piezoelectric element, a sensing electrode disposed on the piezoelectric element and configured to sense the electrical potential, and a dummy electrode electrically unconnected to the sensing electrode and disposed on a portion of the piezoelectric element that is free of the sensing electrode, the dummy electrode configured to reduce static deformation of the piezoelectric element caused by residual stresses in the piezoelectric element.

A multi-layered structural element and a method for producing a multi-layered structural element are disclosed. In an embodiment dielectric green sheets, at least one ply containing an auxiliary material which contains at least one copper oxide and layers containing electrode material are provided and arranged alternately one above another. These materials are debindered and sintered. The copper oxide is reduced to form the copper metal and the at least one ply is degraded during debindering and sintering.