A piezoelectric device that includes a sintered body in which a first conductor portion and a second conductor portion are disposed on both principal surfaces of a piezoelectric ceramic base body. The first conductor portion includes conductive films having a predetermined pattern. An insulating film is formed on the principal surface of the piezoelectric ceramic base body on which the conductive films are disposed such that portions of the conductive films are exposed therethrough. The insulating film has a malleability equal to or greater than that of the conductive films.

A linear or rotary step motor for moving an object comprising: one or more beam actuators; and one or more auxiliary actuators. Each beam actuator comprises: (a) a flexible beam; (b) two holders holding the flexible beam from the beam edges; and (c) an actuator for moving the said at least one holder in order to bent the beam toward the object or to pull the beam away from the object. The axillary actuators are connected to the one or more beam actuators. The beam actuators configured to grip or release the object, and the one or more beam actuators perform a movement step to the object by first grip the object by the one or more beam actuators then push the object by activating the auxiliary actuator.

A method for manufacturing a vibration element that includes a base portion, a first vibration arm and a second vibration arm that extend from the base portion along a first direction and are arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction, and bottomed grooves on both main surfaces of the first vibration arm and both main surfaces of the second vibration arm includes: a preparing step of preparing a crystal substrate; a protective film forming step of forming a protective film on the crystal substrate except for groove regions that are regions in which the grooves are formed; and a dry etching step of dry etching the crystal substrate through the protective film to form the grooves. The grooves provided in at least one of the first vibration arm and the second vibration arm include a first groove and a second groove arranged along the second direction.

A piezoelectric device includes a conductive adhesive, a container, and an AT-cut crystal element. The AT-cut crystal element has at least one side surface intersecting with a Z′-axis of the crystallographic axis of the crystal constituted of three surfaces. When a dimension of a straight-line portion along the Z′-axis of a second side opposed to the first side is expressed as W1 and a dimension along the Z′-axis of the AT-cut crystal element is expressed as W0, W1/W0 is 0.91 or greater, and the straight-line portion has both sides constituting corner portions in approximately right angles with sides along an X-axis of the crystal of the AT-cut crystal element. The side of the first side is at a −X-side in an X-axis of the crystallographic axis of the crystal and a side of the second side is at a +X-side in the X-axis.

A method for processing a lithium tantalate crystal substrate includes providing a lithium tantalate crystal substrate, roughening the lithium tantalate crystal substrate, providing a catalytic agent, bringing the lithium tantalate crystal substrate and the catalytic agent into contact with each other after the lithium tantalate crystal substrate is roughened, and subjecting the lithium tantalate crystal substrate to a reduction treatment. The reduction treatment is conducted at a temperature not higher than a Curie temperature of the lithium tantalate crystal substrate. The catalytic agent is selected from the group consisting of metal powder, metal gas, and metal carbonate powder.

A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric vibrating piece and a container. The piezoelectric vibrating piece has a rectangular planar shape and has a portion of a first side secured to the container. The piezoelectric vibrating piece has a second side opposing the first side and includes a projecting portion that projects outward from the second side in at least one of proximity of both ends of the second side along the second side.

Acoustofluidic components in which at least one microfluidic element and at least one acoustic transducer element are arranged on a piezoelectric substrate and/or on a piezoelectric layer on a non-piezoelectric substrate and/or on a non-piezoelectric substrate on a piezoelectric layer. The at least one microfluidic element is arranged in at least one propagation direction of an acoustic wave excited by the acoustic transducer element and the at least one microfluidic element prepared at least partially by lamination and photolithographic structuring comprises a base, walls and a top. At least the top is prepared by lamination and photolithographic structuring, and the microfluidic element has top thicknesses of 0.01 to 10 times the wavelength of the acoustic wave excited by the acoustic transducer element.

A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator includes preparing a laminate including a substrate, a first electrode layer disposed on the substrate, a piezoelectric layer disposed on the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer disposed on the piezoelectric layer, and forming a contour shape of the piezoelectric layer. The forming of the contour shape includes dry etching the piezoelectric layer from the second electrode layer side to dig the piezoelectric layer halfway in a thickness direction, covering, with a resist film, a dry etched surface formed on a side surface of the piezoelectric layer by the dry etching, and wet etching the piezoelectric layer from the second electrode layer side to dig the piezoelectric layer until the first electrode layer is reached.

A method of forming an electrode in a ceramic transducer electronic component is provided. The method includes preparing a sintered body for a ceramic transducer containing a metal oxide, performing patterning by irradiating a laser on a surface of the sintered body for a ceramic transducer, and forming a metal electrode by performing an electroless plating process on the sintered body for a ceramic transducer on which the patterning is formed, wherein, in the performing of the patterning by irradiating the laser on the surface of the sintered body for a ceramic transducer, the patterning is performed by irradiating the laser that satisfies at least one of a predetermined power condition and a predetermined processing speed condition.

A piezoelectric device includes a base portion and an upper layer on an upper side of and supported by the base portion. The upper layer includes a membrane portion that does not overlap with the base portion in plan view. The membrane portion includes at least one piezoelectric layer sandwiched by electrode layers from a top and a bottom thereof. An intermediate layer is between a lower electrode and the base portion. The intermediate layer includes one or more individual layers, and an individual layer exposed as a lower surface of the membrane portion among the one or more individual layers includes a bent portion, which extends from the lower surface of the membrane portion to a lateral wall, on a boundary between a portion defining and functioning as the lower surface of the membrane portion and a portion overlapping with the base portion.