A ceramic element includes: a ceramic body; a first coating layer disposed on a first part of a front surface of the ceramic body; and a second coating layer disposed on a second part of a back surface of the ceramic body. The first coating layer continuously extends from the front surface to a first region of a side surface of the ceramic body, the side surface being a machined surface, and the first region being a front side region of the side surface. The second coating layer continuously extends from the back surface to a second region of the side surface of the ceramic body, the second region being a back side region of the side surface. In the machined surface, one of the first and second coating layers is disposed at least partially on the other of the first and second coating layers.

Provided are an electroacoustic conversion film web, an electroacoustic conversion film, and manufacturing methods thereof in which costs can be reduced by reducing the number of operations without damage to thin film electrodes, the points of electrode lead-out portions can be freely determined, and thus high productivity can be achieved. A preparation step of preparing an electrode laminated body in which a single thin film electrode and a single protective layer are laminated and a lamination step of laminating the electrode laminated body and an piezoelectric layer are included. A non-adhered portion that is not adhered to the piezoelectric layer is provided in at least one end portion of the thin film electrode in a case where the electrode laminated body and the piezoelectric layer are laminated in the lamination step.

A controllable polymer actuator (1) comprising a dielectric elastomeric film (2); a first (3) and a second (4) deformable electrode arranged on opposite sides of the dielectric elastomeric film such that application of a voltage between the electrodes causes an active portion (7) of the controllable polymer actuator to change topography. The controllable polymer actuator (1) further comprises a deformation controlling layer (5, 6) connected to the dielectric elastomeric film. The deformation controlling layer at least locally has a higher stiffness than the dielectric elastomeric film, and exhibits a spatially varying stiffness across the active portion (7). This may enable surface topographies that could not at all be achieved using previously known controllable polymer actuators and/or may enable a certain surface topography to be achieved with a simpler electrode pattern and/or fewer individually controllable electrodes.

An electronic device includes a substrate; a first thin-film element formed on the substrate and having a lower electrode, a first upper electrode and a first thin-film part disposed between the lower electrode and the first upper electrode; and a second thin-film element formed on the substrate and having the lower electrode, a second upper electrode and a second thin-film part disposed between the lower electrode and the second upper electrode. Film thicknesses of the first and second thin-film parts are different from each other. The first thin-film part is formed by applying a precursor solution using a printing method to form a first precursor thin-film and imparting energy to the first precursor thin-film, and the second thin-film part is formed by applying the precursor solution using the printing method to form a second precursor thin-film and imparting energy to the second precursor thin-film.

A coating method for producing a function layer on mechanically loaded components or surfaces includes providing or applying a first material layer of a first material or substrate matrix having a mechanical flexibility higher than that of a second material on a substrate constituting the component or the surface, respectively, structuring the first material layer such that the material layer surface of the first material layer, which is opposite to the substrate, obtains a three-dimensionally molded basic structure with projections and recesses, and coating the material layer surface of the first material layer with a second material layer of the second material in such a way that the second material layer adopts substantially the basic structure of the material layer surface with the projections and recesses. Also, surface layer structures can be produced by this method.

A resonant transducer includes a silicon single crystal substrate, a silicon single crystal resonator disposed over the silicon single crystal substrate, a shell made of silicon, surrounding the resonator with a gap, and forming a chamber together with the silicon single crystal substrate, an exciting module configured to excite the resonator, a vibration detecting module configured to detect vibration of the resonator, a first layer disposed over the chamber, the first layer having a through-hole over the resonator, a second layer disposed over the first layer, the second layer covering a gap being positioned above the through-hole and being communicated with the through-hole, and a third layer covering the first layer and the second layer, and the third layer sealing the gap.

Micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) arrays capable of multiple resonant modes and techniques for operating them are described, for example to achieve both high frequency and low frequency operation in a same device. In embodiments, various sizes of piezoelectric membranes are fabricated for tuning resonance frequency across the membranes. The variously sized piezoelectric membranes are gradually transitioned across a length of the substrate to mitigate destructive interference between membranes oscillating in different modes and frequencies.

Medical devices configured to direct sound waves to a body tissue of a subject are provided. The medical device includes a housing and a curved piezoelectric transducer, where the curved piezoelectric transducer is configured to direct sound waves produced by the curved piezoelectric transducer to the body tissue of the subject. Also provided are methods of directing sound waves to a body tissue of a subject using the subject medical devices. The subject medical devices and methods find use in a variety of applications where the treatment of a body tissue of a subject with sound waves is desired.

An electromechanical transducer element includes a first electrode; an electromechanical transducer film stacked on one surface of the first electrode; a second electrode stacked on the electromechanical transducer film; and wiring formed on the second electrode. In an at least one cross section, each of a boundary, on a second electrode side, of the electromechanical transducer film and a boundary, on a side opposite to the electromechanical transducer film, of the second electrode is a curved shape protruding away from the first electrode. In the at least one cross section, each of a film thickness of the electromechanical transducer film and a film thickness of the second electrode becomes thinner toward end portions from a maximum height portion.

The present invention relates to a sponge type piezoelectric element and a method of manufacturing the same, and specifically, to a piezoelectric element that is provided in a sponge form and thus can implement all of compressibility, flexibility, and durability and diversely applied to a wearable piezoelectric element, a ferroelectric element, and a sensor.