The invention relates to a method for producing ceramics having piezoelectric properties in predominantly aqueous suspending agents.

A piezoelectric actuator includes a vibration portion, a support portion that is integrally configured with the vibration portion and supports the vibration portion, and a piezoelectric element that is disposed on the vibration portion. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric film including columnar crystal grains extending in a thickness direction. When a thickness of the piezoelectric film is referred to as T [μm] and an average diameter of the crystal grains in the width direction is referred to as D [μm], T/D is within a range of 10 to 100. The thickness T of the piezoelectric film is larger than or equal to 2 μm. A standard deviation of diameters of the crystal grains in the width direction is less than or equal to 1.8 μm.

A piezoelectric element includes a lower electrode layer, an upper electrode layer, an orientation control layer disposed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer, and a piezoelectric layer formed on an upper surface of the orientation control layer. The piezoelectric layer is oriented in a (001) plane or a (100) plane and has a perovskite structure including Pb(Mg.sub.1/3, Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3. The orientation control layer has a perovskite structure, is oriented in the (001) plane or the (100) plane, and contains a part of components forming the piezoelectric layer, as an additive.

A piezoelectric element includes: a first electrode formed at a vibration plate; a seed layer formed at the first electrode; a piezoelectric film containing potassium, sodium, and niobium and formed at the seed layer; and a second electrode formed at the piezoelectric film. The piezoelectric film contains lithium and one or more first transition elements. The seed layer contains bismuth. When the piezoelectric film is divided into two equal parts in a stacking direction, the second electrode side is defined as a first region, and the first electrode side is defined as a second region, a bismuth intensity obtained by SIMS measurement at a boundary between the first region and the second region is equal to or less than 1/500 of a maximum bismuth intensity obtained by the SIMS measurement of the piezoelectric film.

A piezoelectric drive device has a first piezoelectric vibrator and a second piezoelectric vibrator each include a vibrating portion and a distal end portion in which the distal end portion make elliptic motion by stretching vibration and flexural vibration of the vibrating portion, a driven member driven by the elliptic motion of the distal end portion, a drive signal generation circuit that outputs stretching vibration drive signals to the first piezoelectric vibrator and the second piezoelectric vibrator, a first boosting circuit provided between the first piezoelectric vibrator and the drive signal generation circuit, a second boosting circuit provided between the second piezoelectric vibrator and the drive signal generation circuit, and a control circuit that controls boosting amounts of the stretching vibration drive signals.

A piezoelectric element includes a substrate and a laminate which is provided on the substrate and which includes a first electrode, a seed layer, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode in this order, and the seed layer includes a composite oxide containing as a constituent element, lead, iron, and titanium.

An electric current based on electric charge produced on the piezoelectric body changes by going through a first path, a second path, a third path, and a fourth path in this order. On the first path, the electric current becomes larger as the voltage becomes higher. On the second path, the electric current becomes smaller as the voltage becomes higher. On the third path, the electric current becomes larger as the voltage becomes higher. On the fourth path, the electric current becomes smaller as the voltage becomes higher.

There is provided a laminated substrate with a piezoelectric thin film, comprising: a substrate; an electrode film formed on the substrate; and a piezoelectric thin film formed on the electrode film, wherein the piezoelectric thin film is made of an alkali niobium oxide represented by a composition formula of (K.sub.1-xNa.sub.x)NbO.sub.3 (0<x<1), having a perovskite structure, and oriented preferentially in (001) plane direction, and contains a metallic element selected from a group consisting of Mn and Cu at a concentration of 0.2 at % or more and 0.6 at % or less.

A piezoelectric device and a fabricating method thereof, and an electronic device and a controlling method thereof, which relates to the technical field of piezoelectric devices. The piezoelectric device includes: a flexible substrate and a plurality of piezoelectric units that are provided on the flexible substrate and are arranged in an array; each of the plurality of piezoelectric units includes: a first electrode, a piezoelectric component and a second electrode that are sequentially stacked on the flexible substrate; and the piezoelectric component is made from a rigid material. The present disclosure is suitable for the fabrication of piezoelectric devices.

A piezoelectric element includes a first electrode provided at a base body, a piezoelectric layer provided at the first electrode and containing a composite oxide that contains potassium, sodium, and niobium and that has a perovskite structure, and a second electrode provided at the piezoelectric layer, wherein the first electrode is a platinum layer, the first electrode is preferentially oriented to (111), and the first electrode has an average crystal grain diameter of 200 nm or more.