A multi-layer piezoelectric microactuator assembly has at least one poled and active piezoelectric layer and one poled but inactive piezoelectric layer. The poled but inactive layer acts as a constraining layer in resisting expansion or contract of the first piezoelectric layer thereby reducing or eliminating bending of the assembly as installed in an environment, thereby increasing the effective stroke length of the assembly. Poling only a single layer would induce stresses into the device; hence, polling both piezoelectric layers even though only one layer will be active in use reduces stresses in the device and therefore increases reliability.

An elastic wave device includes IDT electrodes on a first main surface of a piezoelectric substrate and a heat dissipating film on a second main surface and including a pair of opposing main surfaces and side surfaces connecting the pair of main surfaces. At least a portion of the side surfaces of the heat dissipating film is located in an inner side portion relative to the outer circumference of the second main surface of the piezoelectric substrate on an arbitrary cross section along a direction connecting the pair of main surfaces of the heat dissipating film.

An electroacoustic transducer includes: a polygonal-shaped laminated piezoelectric element including alternately stacked piezoelectric layers and electrode layers, with the piezoelectric layers placed between at least one pair of electrode layers having different polarities; and a circular vibration plate on which the laminated piezoelectric element is placed. Of the piezoelectric layers sandwiched between the at least one pair of electrode layers, the total volume (V) of those effective layers that overlap the at least one pair of electrode layers as viewed from the stacking direction satisfies the condition below:

0.2πR.sup.2×ts≦V≦2.0πR.sup.2×ts

wherein π represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, R represents the radius of the vibration plate, and ts represents the thickness of the vibration plate.

A micro-vibration sensor and preparation method thereof. The method includes a metal sheet is coated with first curing material, and first curing material is cured into first cured layer; piezoelectric thin film element is attached to edge of first cured layer; one side, attached with piezoelectric thin film element, of first cured layer is vertically placed into second curing material, and second curing material is cured into second cured layer; and metal sheet is removed to obtain micro-vibration sensor. Due to fact that piezoelectric thin film element is arranged at a crack tip, during micro-vibration, stress in stress field of crack tip is rapidly increased due to crack stress deformation, and stress signal is efficiently converted into electric signal; and micro-vibration sensor has characteristics of being low in detection limit and high in accuracy.

A method is provided for manufacturing a piezoelectric device including a piezoelectric element that is disposed above a diaphragm and that has a multilayer structure including a first electrode disposed above the diaphragm, a piezoelectric layer disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer. The method includes forming the multilayer structure including the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the second electrode above the diaphragm, forming a voltage application electrode extending outwardly from an end of the second electrode to cover a region located above the piezoelectric layer in an inactive section having no second electrode, applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, and removing the voltage application electrode.

An actuator may be integrated into an optical element such as a liquid lens and configured to create spherical curvature as well as a variable cylinder radius and axis in a surface of the optical element. An example actuator may include a stack of electromechanical layers, and electrodes configured to apply an electric field independently across each of the electromechanical layers. Within the stack, an orientation of neighboring electromechanical layers may differ, e.g., stepwise, by at least approximately 10°.

In an electronic component, a first outer electrode includes a first conductive layer provided on a first end surface. A second outer electrode includes a second conductive layer provided on a second end surface. A first inner electrode passes through the first conductive layer. A second inner electrode passes through the second conductive layer.

A bender beam actuator includes a first layer of piezoelectric material and a second layer of piezoelectric material overlying a portion of the first layer of piezoelectric material, where a length of the first layer of piezoelectric material is at least 2% greater than a length of the second layer of piezoelectric material.

A method for manufacturing an electroactive polymer device which includes a layered structure including a dielectric polymer layer and an electrode layer, wherein the electrode layer is arranged on a surface of the dielectric polymer layer. The method includes: providing the dielectric polymer layer; determining a surface area location of a defect on a first surface of the dielectric polymer layer; creating an electrode layer including an area void of electrode layer material surrounding the surface area location, and the electrode layer includes a patch of electrode material covering the surface area location and a remainder part of the surface of the dielectric polymer layer surrounding the area void of electrode layer material, in which the patch and the remainder part are electrically isolated from one another.

A dielectric elastomer transducer A1 includes a plurality of dielectric elastomer elements each including a dielectric elastomer layer 11 and a pair of electrode layers 12 and 13 flanking the dielectric elastomer layer 11. The plurality of dielectric elastomer elements include adjacent dielectric elastomer elements 1. One electrode layer 12 of one of the adjacent dielectric elastomer elements and one electrode layer 12 of the other one of the adjacent dielectric elastomer element have the same potential. Such a configuration ensures more stable use of the dielectric elastomer elements.