A piezoelectric device includes a base member, a first conductive film arranged above the base member in contact with an upper surface of the base member, a piezoelectric film arranged above the first conductive film in contact with an upper surface of the first conductive film, a second conductive film arranged on the piezoelectric film, and an insulating portion provided inside a trench penetrating through the piezoelectric film and the first conductive film. The insulating portion has a higher electrical resistivity than the piezoelectric film.

This invention relates to an electromechanical actuator comprising a support and a deformable element comprising a portion anchored to at least one anchoring zone of the support and mobile portion, the deformable element comprising an electro-active layer, a reference electrode arranged on a first face of the electro-active layer an actuating electrode arranged on a second face, opposite the first face, of the electro-active layer comprises a capacitive device for measuring the deformation of the deformable element, said device being at least partially formed by a capacitive stack comprising a measuring electrode on the second face of the electro-active layer, a measuring portion of the reference electrode located facing the measuring electrode, and a portion of the electro-active layer inserted between the measuring electrode.

A piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric element that includes a piezoelectric unit including a ferroelectric, which has an asymmetric bipolar P-E curve, a capacitor connected to the piezoelectric unit in series, and a resistor connected to the capacitor in series and connected to the ferroelectric in parallel; and a drive unit that inputs a drive waveform Vd, which includes a DC offset component of which polarity is opposite to polarization of the ferroelectric, to the piezoelectric element to drive the piezoelectric element. A value of a coercive electric field Ec.sub.1, a value of a coercive electric field Ec.sub.2, the capacitance C.sub.s of the capacitor, the capacitance C.sub.pz of the ferroelectric, combined resistance R.sub.p of the resistance of the resistor and the resistance of the ferroelectric, and a fundamental angular frequency ω of the drive waveform satisfy Expressions I to III, wherein

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A sensor and/or transducer device having at least one bending structure including at least one piezoelectric layer in each case, using which an intermediate volume between at least two electrodes of the bending structure is at least partially filled in each case, the sensor and/or transducer device including an electronic unit, which is designed to apply at least one predefined or established actuator voltage between two of the electrodes at a time of the bending structure in such a way that a deformation of the bending structure triggered by an intrinsic stress gradient in the bending structure may be at least partially compensated for. A method for operating a sensor and/or transducer device having at least one bending structure, which includes at least one piezoelectric layer, and a method for calibrating a microphone having at least one bending structure, which includes at least one piezoelectric layer, are also described.

Provided is a piezoelectric thin film device in which lattice mismatch between a piezoelectric thin film and a lower electrode layer (first electrode layer) is reduced. A piezoelectric thin film device 10 comprises a first electrode layer 6a and a piezoelectric thin film 2 laminated directly on the first electrode layer 6a; the first electrode layer 6a includes an alloy composed of two or more metal elements; the first electrode layer 6a has a face-centered cubic lattice structure; and the piezoelectric thin film 2 has a wurtzite structure.

A stacked film includes an oxide film including a ZrO.sub.2 film, a metal oxide film provided on the oxide film, and a predetermined metal film provided on the metal oxide film and having a single orientation, and the metal oxide film is a PtO film or a PdO film. In the case of this structure, the predetermined metal film has a single orientation, and characteristics of the piezoelectric film such as PZT formed on the predetermined metal film are improved. Therefore, excellent characteristics such as an increase in the driving force due to the piezoelectric film or a reduction in leakage current can be exhibited.

A driving unit includes a rotor, a plurality of vibratory members, and a driving circuit. The vibratory members each include an action part in contact with the outer periphery of the rotor and a motional part including an expansion-and-contraction driver to expand and contract in response to an applied voltage. The motional part allows the action part to slide along the rotational direction of the rotor. The driving circuit applies voltages to the expansion-and-contraction drivers. The vibratory members are disposed in such a way that the action parts of the vibratory members hold the rotor between the action parts.

A piezoelectric adjustment apparatus has a piezo element whose movement is transmitted via a lever to a plunger. The plunger can be set against an abutment that is arranged at one side of the lever and a second abutment is provided at the other side of the lever.

There are provided an excitation electrode, a quartz crystal vibrator element, a quartz crystal vibrator, a sensor, an oscillator, and a method of manufacturing a quartz crystal vibrator element which are not affected by heat in a process or a use environment to surely prevent a frequency fluctuation from occurring, reduction in size of which can be achieved, and which are low in cost and excellent in productivity. The excitation electrodes are disposed on an outer surface of a quartz crystal plate, apply an electrical field for exciting the quartz crystal plate to the quartz crystal plate, have a single layer structure formed of a two-dimensional layered substance, and are used when arranged as a pair so as to be opposed to each other via the quartz crystal plate.

A cooling system is described. The cooling system includes a cooling element having a central region and a perimeter. The cooling element is anchored at the central region. At least a portion of the perimeter is unpinned. The cooling element is in communication with a fluid. The cooling element is actuated to induce vibrational motion to drive the fluid toward a heat-generating structure.